Combination system for provisioning and maintaining telephone network facilities in a public switched telephone network

ABSTRACT

In an administration system for a public switched telephone network, a method of provisioning and maintaining the working status of customer network facilities is provided. The method includes the steps of receiving a service request from a customer at a living unit requesting service, and determining whether the service request from the living unit is eligible for processing by the adjunct processor. When the service request is eligible, the method automatically provisions customer equipment to execute the service request based upon information including customer identification data and customer facilities. The information is generally maintained without altering the customer facilities when a subsequent disconnect request is received from the customer. The method also includes one or more of receiving a customer request, retrieving related customer profile information, obtaining a description of the customer trouble and entering a trouble type associated therewith, building a trouble report, testing the communication line and generating test results. The method also includes the steps of grouping related open work requests and proactively determined troubles with the trouble report based on grouping rules, and building a work load for a technician.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of applicationSer. No. 08/376,201, filed Jan. 20, 1995 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,742,application Ser. No. 08/152,360, filed Nov. 16, 1993 now U.S. Pat. No.5,416,833, application Ser. No. 08/467,646, filed Jun. 6, 1995, now U.S.Pat. No. 5,644,619, application Ser. No. 08/506,655, filed Jul. 25,1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,633, application Ser. No. 08/551,622,filed Nov. 1, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,212, and application Ser.No. 08/757,682, filed Nov. 29, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,634 all ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to public switched telephone networks (PSTNs) andmore particularly relates to a combination system for provisioning andmaintaining telephone network facilities. The maintenance of thetelephone network facilities includes, for example, responding to acustomer complaint, correcting or repairing outside plant facilities ofa customer for line faults, failures, while simultaneously detecting andcorrecting proactively determined faults or potential faults in networkfacilities. The provisioning system is designed to efficiently andeffectively assign network facilities for communication.

2. Description of the Prior Art

U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,517, issued Nov. 1, 1988 discloses a system thatallows a user to provide new service to existing terminations in atelephone network. A server having program sequences for controlling itsoperation connects the terminations and the telephone network. Theserver monitors the occurrence of a request event at one of theterminations. A processor, distinct from the server, controls the serverby accessing a directly accessible database to extract a statetransition rule to provide control information corresponding to theresponse event. Information is returned to the terminations in responseto the control information. The database storing the state transitionrules is directly accessible by the user for changing the statetransition rules to modify the services without changing the programsequences of the server.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,511, issued Apr. 30, 1991 discloses a system thatprovides special service in telephone networks, particularly withrespect to call forwarding. An adjunct computer is associated with aRemote Memory Administration System (RMAS) for switches which include afacility for providing special services such as call forwarding. Theadjunct computer is inserted between the RMAS and the switches which itcontrols and responds to a request for special services. The processordetermines the identity of the subscriber station that is to receive therequested service and the nature of the service. A programming signal isgenerated and transmitted to the switch to which the station isconnected.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,519, issued Nov. 1, 1988 discloses a method andapparatus for enhancing the operation of an existing central office in atelephone switching system to provide extended subscriber service. Thesystem relates to existing central office equipment that is incapable ofadequately providing "equal access" and other extended subscriberfeatures to non-conforming central offices. The operating capabilitiesof these offices are enhanced so that they can offer extended subscriberfeatures, such as equal access, without replacing or upgrading existingtechnology.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,461, issued Feb. 4, 1992 discloses a method andapparatus for providing switching equipment, such as 1ESS or 1AESStelephone switching office equipment which are stored program controlledswitches, with the capability of controlling the connection managementand disconnection of telephone circuits using Signaling System #7(SS7)protocols.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,199, issued Nov. 4, 1980 discloses a specialservices add-on specifically adapted for use in dial pulse activatedswitching offices such as a step by step office. The add-on is a storedprogram, processor based system that can be put on a line-by-line basis,independent of subscriber line assignments. The add-on provides specialservices such as incoming call alert, call conferencing, callforwarding, tone dialing abbreviated dialing, instant recall, etc.

FIG. 1 is diagram illustrating the basic structure or arrangement of thecustomer and telephone company facilities for providing telephoneservice or connection between a telephone caller and a telephonereceiver destination. As illustrated in FIG. 1, telephone sets 1a, 1b,1c, 1d, 1e represent different; addresses or customer locations whichreceive and initiate telephone calls. In order for a customer locationor address to establish or receive telephone service, each location oraddress must be physically connected to a central switching office orcentral office (CO) 3a, 3b, 3c via a physical copper cable pair,Sub.Carrier Sys. or fiber optic cable sys. The cable pair which connectscustomer locations 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e often require intermediaryconnections via cross connect devices 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d and 2e. In thissituation, there may be several legs of cable pairs 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5ebetween cross connect devices 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e. The combinations ofcable pairs which connect the customer location to the serving CO iscommonly referred to as "outside plant". Central offices 3a, 3b, 3c areconnected together via trunk lines 7a, 7b.

Once the customer location is connected to the CO via an in-coming frameat the CO 3a, 3b, 3c, the customer location must also be allocatedoffice equipment (OE) and switch translations made to provide thespecific calling features requested by the customer location. Forexample, the customer may request such features as call waiting or callforwarding which require different switch translations in CO 3a, 3b, 3c.Once the customer location is able to access the CO, the customerlocation may be connected via a CO to another customer location servicedby the same CO, such as customer location 1a calling customer location1b which is connected or switched by CO 3a. Alternatively, the customerlocation may be connected to another customer location which is servicedby a different CO. For example, customer location 1c will be connectedto customer location 1e via COs 3b and 3c, and cable trunk 7b.

The combination of outside plant and OE which is allocated or"provisioned" for a customer location is typically referred to ascustomer facilities which are always associated with the customerlocation until the customer location decides to disconnect service,e.g., the customer location moves from one calling area to anothercalling area. As clearly illustrated in FIG. 1, the arrangement of theoutside plant and OE can become extremely complicated, particularly inview of the quantity of customer facilities which must be provisionedfor each customer location. Further, the provisioning or assignment ofcustomer facilities is further complicated with the typical or standarddesire to conserve or reuse customer facilities as efficiently aspossible. As will be discussed in detail below, we have discovered thatthis insistence on conserving customer facilities has resulted inexcessive and unnecessary work which the present invention is directedat eliminating.

The current state of the art of provisioning of residential services tocustomers of PSTNs, i.e., customer facilities, follows a series of stepsnot conceptually different from the steps that were followed in a manualprovisioning environment some thirty years ago. The individual worksteps have been mechanized, and the mechanized steps have been connectedwith interfaces, but the steps have not basically changed. The commonsequence of such steps is illustrated in FIG. 2. FIGS. 3-5 provide amore detailed flow chart illustration of this methodology. FIG. 6 showsthe system architecture.

Referring to FIG. 3 a Customer service representative of the Telco at 10determines the reason for the call and the address of the caller orcustomer. The call may be for ordering service, making bill paymentarrangements, registering a deposit, or calling for service maintenance.If the customer is calling for new service or a change to existingservice the representative proceeds to the next step 12. Here therepresentative gathers the customer information such as the callingparty's name, the customer's name, the service address, the billingname, and billing address. The representative determines how thecustomer wishes the service to be listed, the numbers and types ofdirectories, calling cards, and any disclosures that are requested bythe customer.

In the next step 14 the credit history of the customer is checked usinginternal and external data sources. At 16 the service representativetakes the customer service address information provided and uses aPREMIS (Premis Information System) processor. PREMIS is an on-lineaddress-based system used by service representatives for service ordernegotiation. It provides street address, Living Unit (LU), previouscredit status, equal access carrier data, facility availability, andTelephone Number (TM) selection capabilities. PREMIS provides storageand retrieval of Street Address Guide (SAG) information, Living Unit(LU) information, Facility Assignment (FA) information, Telephone Number(TN) selection, repetitive debt customer information, and otherinformation. At 16 the service representative uses PREMIS to verify theaddress, determine the working status of the address, and determines theserving wire center and other common address information such ascommunity and tax codes. Based on the wire center serving the customer,the service representative is able to determine what services areavailable to the customer.

At 18 service is negotiated with the customer, matching the customerneeds with the available products and services. The first service thatis negotiated is basic service which will determine the calling plan forthe customer. This is followed by the negotiation of toll services andother optional services such as touch tone, custom calling services andmaintenance plans.

At 20 the due date for installation is negotiated and scheduled. At 22 aTelephone Number is selected from the PREMIS or Service Order Processor(SOP) systems. This Telephone Number will be based on the wire centerserving the area and the availability of the TN.

Before ending the call with the customer, the service representative at24 recaps the service request to insure that the customer orderaccurately reflects the customer's requirements. The service order isthen issued or released at 26 to the SOP. The HOP checks the order forformat accuracy and determines what centers or systems should receivethe service order. The service order is then distributed to the systemsand centers at 28.

Referring to FIG. 4 the service order is next received by the ServiceOrder Analysis and Control System (SOAC).

The order is validated and checked for format accuracy 30. At 32 aninitial determination is made for orders that might require manual workor testing. If the order might require work or testing a planningmessage is sent to the Work and Force Administration/Dispatch Out(WFA/DO) system at 33. WFA/DO system makes the final determination as towhether a dispatch or testing is required.

At 34 the Service Order Control system determines if loop facilities arerequired for the order. This is based on Universal Service Order Codes(USOC) and Field Identifiers (FID) on the order. If a loop facility isrequired an assignment request (AR) is prepared and sent to the LoopFacility Assignment and Control System (LFACS). This assignment requestis made at 36 and contains the address, order number, telephone number,and date due. An outside plant equivalency code (OEC) is also sent inthe request that has been determined based on the type of service. TheOEC designates the type of facility required for the request.

At 38 the address is first matched with addresses in the Loop Facilityinventory system. If there is an address match, the status of the livingunit is checked to insure that there is not already working service atthe address. The terminal address is then determined. Once the addressand terminal address have been verified, a network facility matching therequest is selected at 40. After the facility is selected theinformation in the form of an assignment request response (ARR) is sentback to the Service Order Control system at 42.

The Service Order Control system determines switch equipmentrequirements, prepares the request and sends an assignment request tothe Switch Inventory system at 44. The assignment request is received bythe Switch Inventory system from the Service Order Control system at 46.This request will contain information as to the type of switchfacilities required, the loop facility that must be connected, thetelephone number, the service order number, and the date due.

At 48 the loop facility and telephone number received in the assignmentrequest are verified with the Switch Inventory system data. The statusof each is checked to insure that the request can be completed asrequested.

The switch equipment is selected at 50 based on the requested switchfacility, the loading of the switch and the jumper length to beconnected. The selection also will determine if an existing jumper hasbeen left in place. Based on these criteria, switch equipment isselected. The switching equipment which is typically used involves astored program control switch (SPC) such as a 1ESS or 1AESS switch.

After the selection of switch equipment, the information is sent to theService Order Control system at 52. The Service Order Control systemassembles the information received from the Loop Facility InventorySystem and the Switch Inventory system at 54. This information isformatted as an assignment section and placed on the service order. Theassigned Service Order (SO) is then sent to the SOP at 56. The SOPdetermines where the service order should be sent and distributes theservice order at 58.

At 60 the Service Order Control system also sends the assigned serviceorder to the Work and Force system. At 74 work is performed as required.That is, if other work in the field or in the central office isrequired, this work is completed and reported back to the appropriatecenter or system. Work may include placing jumpers in the central officeor in the loop facilities, connecting the customer to the network andplacing inside wiring and jacks at the customer premise.

After completion of the service request the completion information issent to the SOP at 76. This information may include the completion timeand date, any changes to the service order and any billing informationthat needs to be added for time and material charges.

The Service Order Control system determines if memory administration isinvolved in the request and if so determines if it has the requiredinformation to prepare a translation packet to send to the MemoryAdministration System (MAS) at 62. The translation packet is thencreated. If a translation packet cannot be prepared an image of theservice order is prepared. The translation packet or the service orderimage is then sent to the Memory Administration System at 64.

The TP or SOI is received and validated in the Memory AdministrationSystem at 66. The Memory Administration System validates the TP/SOI anddetermines what needs to be done to complete the request.

At 68 the Memory Administration System (MAS) creates a machine readableRecent Change (RC) message specific to the switch to receive themessage. The Recent Change (RC) message is created to match the vendorspecific switch type and generic. The RC message is then sent to theswitch at a designated time at 70 and the switch is updated at 72.

Referring to FIG. 5, the SOP receives the completion information at 78and prepares the completed service order for distribution at 80. At 82the SOP determines the distribution of the service order and thecompleted service order is distributed to all systems requiring theinformation. Thus, as indicated at 84, the service order is sent to anumber of systems including Loop Maintenance, Billing, Directory, andE-911. The service order is also sent back to the Service Order Controlsystem at 86 to update the status of the facilities from Pending Connector Disconnect to Working or some idle status. At 88 the Service OrderControl system receives the completed service order and validates theformat of the information.

The Service Order Control system determines the network requirements at90. In this case, since the order is completed, the requirement is tochange the status of the facilities from Pending Connect to Working. Ifthe request was for a disconnect this would change from PendingDisconnect to Disconnected.

At 92 the Assignment Request is sent to the Loop Facility system. TheLoop Facility system matches information received in Assignment Requestwith existing facility data and at 94 updates the status of the facilityfrom Pending Connect to Working or from Pending Disconnect toDisconnected. At 96 an Assignment Request Response is sent to theService Order Control system. At 98 switch facility requirements aredetermined. In this case, the requirement is to change the status of thefacility from Pending Connect to Working or from Pending Disconnect toDisconnect.

At 100 an Assignment Request to the twitch Inventory system is sent toupdate the status of the facility and the Telephone Number. TheAssignment Request is received from the Service Order Control system at102 and the appropriate status changes are made. The status of thefacility and the Telephone Number are changed. The Status Inventorysystem inventories and administers the use in aging of telephonenumbers. When a telephone number is disconnected, it will be aged for aspecified period of time before being reused. After the status of theswitch facility and telephone number have been completed, a confirmationis sent to the Service Order Control system at 104.

Referring to FIG. 6 there is shown typical architecture for carrying outthe above described methodology. The Service Order Processor (SOP) isshown at 106. The SOP obtains the information from the customer callingfor service and obtains the previously described information from PremisInformation System (PREMIS) 108 upon the SOP initiating a request toPREMIS. That information is put on the service order which goes from theSOP to the Facility Assignment Control System (FACS) 113 which is anautomated facility assignment system which automatically assigns loopfacilities and office equipment to a subscriber address to providetelephone service. This assignment of loop or outside plant facilitiesand office equipment is in response to the provisioning request orservice order generated by SOP 106.

FACS is an automated facilities assignment system which attempts tooptimize the use of loop facilities and office equipment includingjumper cables to minimize the amount of unused inventory and cost to thetelephone service provisioning company. FACS, an on-line computersystem, administers, inventories, and assigns the complete circuit fromthe customer's premises to the local serving office. FACS is the primaryautomated support for the provisioning work group since it keeps trackof all interconnections and segments (working and available). FACS worksby maintaining inventories of outside plant (OSP) and central office(CO) facilities and using the data to make assignments. FACS is acollection of computer systems which have been previously discussed inconnection with FIGS. 4-5, and which is further discussed in greaterdetail with respect to FIG. 6.

The first system in FACS 113 which receives the service order is theService Order Analysis and Control system (SOAC) 110. SOAC is thecontroller of service order flow within FACS and handles most of theinterfaces between FACS and other systems, such as the Service OrderProcessor (SOP). SOAC reads the assignment affecting sections of theservice order line by line and determines if FACS can process the order.If the assignment requirements can be determined, FACS automaticallyassigns the service order. If SOAC reads a Field Identifier (FID) orUniversal Service Order Code (USOC) that is beyond FACS' capability, theservice order is sent to the service provisioning work center for manualintervention using perhaps LAC Operations Management System (LOMS). SOACalso detects errors that are routed back to the originator forcorrection.

If SOAC can completely interpret the service order, it builds AssignmentRequests (ARs) which are sent to LFACS and Work Manager/Computer System,for Maintenance Operations (WM/COSMOS) or SWITCH to request outsideplant facilities and central office facility assignments, respectively.After assignments are made, SOAC receives Assignment Request Responses(ARRs) from LFACS and WM/COSMOS, merges and formats this data into aservice order assignment section and automatically returns it to theService Order Processor (SOP).

SOAC tracks all service orders and Line and Station Transfers (LSTs)through completion or cancellation. Status information is maintained onall service requests as well as the service order image and relevantdata that results from processing.

SOAC also includes the capability of supporting multiple SOACs residingon the same machine, different machines, or a combination of both. Thiscapability is called SOAC Tandem. For orders that contain wire centerssupported by more than one SOAC, SOAC Tandem provides tracking of allinvolved SOACs and the linking of assignment data generated by allinvolved SOACs. Hence, the SOP only needs to communicate with one SOACfor any multi-SOAC order.

A service order is sent to the appropriate SOAC by the SOP based on theheader wire centers (for non-TFS involved orders) or the CircuitAdministrative Area (for TFS involved orders). Note: TFS (Trunk FacilitySystem) is a generic term for a system such as TIRKS. The particularSOAC that receives the service order determines other potentiallyinvolved SOACs based on the wire centers and/or NPA-NNXs appearing onthe order. If there is more than one potentially involved SOAC, the SOACthat receives the order is the controlling SOAC for the order and theother potentially involved SOACs are called the subordinate SOACs.

Current SOAC processing takes place in each involved SOAC to generatethe necessary assignments for the wire centers involved in the SOAC.Each involved SOAC sends it SOP status and assignment data to thecontrolling SOAC. The controlling SOAC tracks and sequences allresponses sent back by all involved SOACs. When at least all solicitedresponses or any subsequent unsolicited responses have been received bythe controlling SOAC, the controlling SOAC analyzes the statuses anddetermines the appropriate response (if any) to return to the SOP.Assignment data returned by involved SOACs is linked by the controllingSOAC before it is sent to the SOP.

Besides communicating with the SOP, the controlling SOAC is alsoresponsible for communicating with all other order level SOACinterfaces, such as TFS.

SOAC also records the pass of a service order. The pass identifies thecurrent phase of the order as determined by the service order issuancegroup. There are five pass types as described below:

1. Pre-completion (PRE)--The initial issuance of a service order.

2. Correction (COR)--A change to the initial service order prior tocompletion in the SOP.

3. Post Completion (PCN)--Notification that the service order has beencompleted without corrections in the SOP.

4. Completion with Correction (CPC)--A completion notice that identifieschanges made to the service order at the time it was worked. This passalso completes the service order in the SOP. If a CPC pass is sent andSOAC detects that the changes may affect assignment, SOAC sends a noticeto the service provisioning work center. IF necessary, the user updatesthe LFACS and/or COSMOS databases.

5. Cancellation (CAN) notification that the service order has beencancelled.

SOAC reads the changes on each new pass of a service order. If a CORpass is sent and changes are needed on the assignment, FACS attempts toautomatically reassign the service with the necessary changes.

The service order is parsed out by SOAC and a determination is made asto whether there is a loop facility required for the order. AnAssignment Request (AR) is made to the Loop Facility Assignment andControl System (LFACS) 112 where a loop facility is requested for thespecified address. LFACS maintains a mechanized inventory of outsideplant facilities, (e.g., facility addresses, cables, cable pairs,serving terminals, cross connection devices, loops, etc.) and assignsthe outside plant facilities to ARs (Assignment Requests) received fromSOAC as a result of customer service order activity. LFACS sends thisassignment back to SOAC via ARRs. LFACS also generates work sheets forcable transfers and reconcentrations. These activities are updatedmechanically upon notification of completion.

In addition, LFACS changes existing loop inventory with maintenancechange activity and facility modifications via transactions input intothe system by the user. Information once contained in Dedicated PlantAssignment Cards (DPAC) and Exchange Customer Cables Records (ECCR) foruse in the manual assignment process is now maintained in an automateddata base. As a consequence of assignment requests from the ServiceOrder Analysis and Control (SOAC) system or inquiries from LoopAssignment Center (LAC) personnel, LFACS applies appropriate algorithmsto information contained in the data base in order to provideappropriate responses.

The LFACS assignment process consists of two parts: the blockingfunction and the assignment function. The blocking function identifiesthe serving terminal. The automatic assignment function uses informationprovided by the blocking function in conjunction with an assignmentalgorithm appropriate for the type of service requested. The automaticassignment function can select reserved, connect-through, committed andspare pairs. Given that an assignment cannot be made in one of the aboveways, a pair can be selected by breaking a connect-through which hasremained idle for longer than a specified time period (overaged),performing a line and station transfer, breaking an underagedconnect-through or some combination of these. The order of the selectionof pairs is controlled by parameters specified at the terminal or wirecenter level. In addition to automatic processing, LFACS supports acapability which allows a user to manually select and assign any OSPfacilities.

The LFACS administration of circuit terminations and facilities allowsfor single-loop single-line circuit terminations, multi-loop single-linecircuit terminations, and multi-party circuit terminations with the useof appropriate bridging rules. Two or more circuit terminations mayshare a common facility (i.e., cross-box or field bridging).

LFACS supports the assignment and administration of multiple outsideplant, dedicated outside plant, and serving area concept. This includesthe specific types of hardware associated with each type ofadministration. The LFACS assignment function processes customerinitiated inward, outward and change activity for circuit terminations.

SOAC matches the address from PREMIS to a possible address in LFACS. Ifa match is found it proceeds with processing by matching that to aterminal serving the address. It then begins to select a pair back tothe central office. Once this is completed the Assignment RequestResponse (ARR) is sent back to SOAC and the loop part of the connectionis fixed.

SOAC makes an assignment request to the Computer System for MainframeOperations (COSMOS) 114 via Work Manager (WM) 116 or SWITCH 118. The WMlinks COSMOS to the other FACS components. Inquiries and transactions toCOSMOS are sent through the WM which controls the load level of themessage delivered to COSMOS. If COSMOS fails, the WM stores the ARs(Assignment Requests) generated by SOAC during the down time anddistributes them to COSMOS when it is restored.

COSMOS maintains an inventory of central office facilities (e.g., officeequipment (OE). tie pairs (TP), bridge lifters (BL), telephone numbers(TN)). COSMOS assists the Network Administration (NAC) and Frame ControlCenters (FCC) in managing, controlling, and utilizing main distributingframe and central office equipment, facilities, and circuits. The systemperforms preferential assignment of line equipment, frame jumper reuse,tie pair management for Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), frame workmanagement and includes extensive reporting capabilities.

COSMOS receives ARs from SOAC after a successful LFACS assignment andautomatically assigns line equipment and certain miscellaneous centraloffice equipment. COSMOS responds back to SOAC with ARRs. Cabletransfers and reconcentrations generated by LFACS are automaticallyestablished in COSMOS. These transactions can be manually input intoCOSMOS if necessary.

The SWITCH system is an operations system to inventory and assigncentral office switching equipment and related facilities. It allowscompanies to provision, efficiently and economically, a network that iscomprised of both digital and analcg technologies. The SWITCH systemprovides improved computing methodology and a new database structure tosupport quick incorporation of new technological developments and toaccommodate differences in technology between vendors. The SWITCH systemwill support digital and other new technologies/services in a single,integrated, flow-through provisioning system. In particular, the SWITCHsystem is designed to handle ISDN inventory and assignment requirements,and to facilitate ISDN flow-through provisioning. The SWITCH system isalso designed to support inventory and flow-through assignmentcapabilities as appropriate for digital overlay networks and integrateddigital facilities.

The SWITCH system will provide integrated inventory and flow-throughassignment control for circuit switches, packet switches, ISDN switches,derived channel technologies, and for any associated transmissionequipment and intra-office facilities (e.g., tie pairs) required tosupport the provisioning of these switches and technologies. SWITCH isdesigned to support integrated line and trunk side provisioningrequirements and will ultimately replace and expand both COSMOS and TASfunctionality.

COSMOS or SWITCH takes the facility that it obtained from LFACS andtries to find a match. Also PREMIS selects a Telephone Number and COSMOSattempts to match the facility, the F1 facility, and the TelephoneNumber. If a match is secured it assigns office equipment.

After SOAC gets the service order and determines what to do and sendsthe assignment request to LFACS, it sends a planning message to the Workand Force Administration/Dispatch Out (WFA/DO) 120 and providesnotification that there is a need to make a determination if there isany outside work to be done. After the assignment request response hascome back from COSMOS, information is sent to Memory AdministrationCheck System (MARCH) 122 for memory administration work and it is alsosent to the Remote Intelligent Distribution Element Support System(RIDES) 124 which handles the fiber electronics, if required. A WorkManager (WM) 126 is disposed between SOAC and MARCH. After the assignedservice order is received at WFA/DO a mechanized loop test is initiatedby the Loop Maintenance Operation System (LMOS) 128. After the serviceis completed, the LMOS host 130 will receive a completed service orderfor record maintenance.

Service orders that do not automatically flow through the provisioningprocess fall out of automatic processing and are managed by the LACOperations Management System (LOMS) 132. LOMS assists the MechanizedLoop Assignment Center (MLAC) in management of Requests for ManualAssistance (RMAs). The primary function of LOMS includes the creation ofwork packages for assignment personnel and monitoring the flow of ordersthrough FACS and the service provisioning work group. This state of theart provisioning process may require up to two days to complete.

Two important work centers interface with FACS. These work groups arethe Frame Control Center (FCC), and the Installation Control Center(ICC).

The FCC is responsible for the administrative, force control, workcontrol, and analysis functions associated with the installation andmaintenance of cross-connects of loop, special service, carrier, andmessage trunk circuits and their associated activities in centraloffices. The center is responsible for providing related order statusand work completion information to the support systems, COSMOS and theTIRKS system, or to Order or Circuit Control Centers. The centers willalso be responsible for the support of facility maintenance,sectionalization and/or substitution of facilities in connection withfailures detected by routing testing or customer complaints.

The ICC has responsibility for and performs the administrative functionsassociated with work activities including:

Installation Force Management,

Order tracking,

Work assignment and dispatch,

Field-force coordination and progress tracking,

Force planning,

Prepost completion dispatch testing, and

Completion notification to the service order centers and to the customerwhen required.

The ICC performs these functions for installation work groups, which arethe field forces responsible for installation of the service drop,protector, network channel terminating equipment, network terminatingwork, and network interface. The ICC interfaces with FACS through WFA/DOthe Work and Force Administration/Dispatch-out system. This interface isoptional and is not installed in all companies. Where WFA/DO and itsinterface to FACS do not exist, the ICC gets its information from FACSas a function of the normal service order flow. The WFA/DO interfacespeeds the process and provides additional automation to assist the workin the ICC.

As discussed above, FACS is designed to optimize the assignment orprovisioning of customer facilities. Accordingly, FACS will often reusecustomer facilities in order to achieve the main objectives of FACSwhich is to conserve customer facilities, i.e., outside plant or OE.

FIG. 7 is a detailed diagram of outside plant facilities for a firstcombination of customer locations. As illustrated in FIG. 7, customerlocations 201, 203, 205 are connected to central office 200 viadifferent combinations of outside plant facilities including cable pairs202a, 204a, 206a and cable pairs 202b, 204b, 206b via cross connectdevices 208 and 216. Customer location 201 is connected to CO 200 viacable pair 206a and terminal 210a in cross connect device 208. Customerlocation 203 is connected to CO 200 via cable pair 204a and cable pair204b by connecting cable 212b which connects terminals 210b and 214b incross connect device 208, and terminal 218b in cross connect device 216.Finally, customer location 205 is connected to CO 200 via a drop wireand customer serving terminal (not shown) cable pair 202a and 202b byconnecting cable 212c which connects terminals 210c and 214c in crossconnect device 208, and cable 220c which connects terminals 218c and222c in cross connect device 216. As, can be seen, multiple cable pairsare installed or positioned along the area of customer locations 201,203, 205, and not all of the cable pairs are utilized. This type ofarrangement of outside plant facilitates the adaptability of outsideplant to changing conditions of the various customer locations in thearea of cross connect devices 208, 216.

FIG. 8 is a detailed diagram of outside plant facilities for a secondcombination of customer locations which has altered the firstcombination of customer locations. In FIG. 8, customer location 205 hasbeen disconnected via a disconnect request executed by the BusinessOffice and entered via a disconnect service order in the SOP. During thesame relevant time period, a new service request has been initiated bycustomer 207 at the Business Office and entered via a new connectservice order in the SOP.

Both the disconnect and new connect service orders are transmitted toSOAC which sends each of the requests to LFACS for outside plantprovisioning. Since, as indicated above, LFACS will attempt to optimizeoutside plant facilities by minimizing the outlay of new cable pairs andreuse of existing outside plant facilities, LFACS will often break theexisting connection 212c in cross connect device 208 at 224, andreassign terminal 210c to the new customer location 207. A work order isthen issued for an installer to make the appropriate changes to theoutside plant facilities.

FIG. 9 is a detailed diagram of office equipment facilities for a firstcombination of customer locations. In FIG. 9, stored programmed controlswitch 230 will connect incoming telephone calls to destinations byconnecting the incoming call to, for example, different central officeframes which will be described. For example, an incoming telephone callmay arrive in the central office in frame 246c at frame location 248c.Frames 246a, 246b, 246c, 246d may be located on a first floor of thecentral office building 245 and represent the vertical side of the MainDistributing Frame (VMDF) All cable pair terminations are made on theVMDF.

The incoming call is then transferred to frame location 242c in frame240c bearing the office equipment used to provide the requested serviceto the customer location. Frames 240a, 240b, 240c may be located on aseparate floor 241 of the central office and represent the horizontalside of the Main Distributing Frame (HMDF). All OE terminations appearon the HMDF. The cables 244a, 244b, 244c which connect frames 246a,216b, 246c, 246d to frames 240a, 240b, 240c are commonly referred to as"jumper" cables. Frames 240a, 240b, 240c are then connected to switch230 at switch connections 236a, 236b, 236c via cables 238a, 238b, 238c.From switch connections 236a, 236b, 236c, the incoming call may betransferred to another customer location or to another central officevia, for example, trunk frame 235 at location 234 from switch location232. Note that frames 246a, 246b, 246c, 246d and frames 240a, 240b, 240cmay be located on different floors of the central office 241, 245.

FIG. 10 is a detailed diagram of office equipment facilities for asecond combination of customer locations which has altered the firstcombination of customer locations. In FIG. 10, a first customer locationwhich utilized the OE on frame 240b, accessed via frame 246b at location248b, has been disconnected via a disconnect request executed by theBusiness Office and entered via a disconnect service order in the SOP.During the same relevant time period, a new service request has beeninitiated by another customer at the Business Office and entered via anew connect service order in the SOP. The second customer has beenprovisioned on frame 246b at location 254.

Both the disconnect and new connect service orders are transmitted toSOAC which sends each of the requests to COSMOS or SWITCH for officeequipment provisioning, depending on the particular type of storedprogrammable switching equipment. Since, as indicated above, COSMOS orSWITCH will attempt to optimize office equipment facilities byminimizing the use of new office equipment, minimize the length ofjumpers between frames, and reuse existing office equipment facilities,COSMOS or SWIITCH will often not reuse the existing connection 244b at250, and reassign a new jumper cable 252 for the second customerlocation. A work order is then issued to the central office for frameinstallers to make the appropriate changes to the office equipmentfacilities.

FIG. 11 is a detailed diagram of office equipment facilities for a firstcombination of customer locations. FIG. 11 illustrates the variousconnections within a frame at the central office. In FIG. 11, frame 254connects three customer locations at entrance points 256a, 256b, 256c(VMDF) to office equipment connected to out going frame locations 260a,260b, 260c (HMDF) via jumper cables 258a, 258b, 258c. Jumper cables258a, 258b, 258c are to some extent disorganized, and longer thannecessary, thereby inefficiently utilizing jumper cable facilities.

In order to correct the problem of inefficient allocation orprovisioning of jumper cables, COSMOS or SWITCH in the FACS provisioningsystem will reorganize the jumper cables as illustrated in FIG. 12.Thus, frame 254 will connect customer entrance points 262a, 262b, 262cto office equipment accessed by cables 266a, 266b, 266c via jumpers264a, 264b, 264c, thereby minimizing the jumper length and conservinguse of the jumper cables. Accordingly, a frame installer will bedispatched to make the necessary changes to frame 254.

Some attempts have been made at reactively maintaining networkfacilities. For example, one process for reactively maintaining networkfacilities occurs as follows. If a trouble has not been detected andresolved before the customer identifies it, the customer calls to reportthe trouble. This initiates the reactive rode of maintenance. Reactivelyidentified troubles constitute approximately 92% of all troublesexperienced by network facilities. FIGS. 13-14 illustrate the systemsand processes involved in the reactive maintenance flow. The followingis an explanation of the role the systems play in the process flow.

Step S1--Gather Customer Information

Step S1a--Gather Stored Customer Information

The Caseworker 308 or Automated Repair Service Answering (ARSA) 310,answers the repair call and obtains the affected telephone or circuitnumber. After entering the number on a Trouble Entry screen, theCaseworker or ARSA automatically receives related customer profileinformation, such as billing, service order, circuit test history andtrouble history.

Step S1b--Gather Trouble Information From Customer

The Caseworker 308 or ARSA 310 obtains a description of the customertrouble and enters the trouble type on the Trouble Report screen. ATrouble Report Profile is built, which includes the trouble theCaseworker 308 or ARSA 310 has entered, automatically generated testresults, related trouble reports and all information gathered in StepS1a. The Caseworker 308 then determines whether additional informationis needed, or whether the report can be closed out, or whether thereport should be forwarded to another work group.

Step S2--Route Trouble

Depending on the trouble type, class of service or test results, theinformation collected by the Automated Repair Service Answering (ARSA)310 system or Caseworker 308 may lead to one of the following routingdecisions.

The trouble could be resolved without further analysis and does notrequire a dispatch. This would occur when the customer agrees that thetrouble is caused by their equipment and when the Caseworker 308resolves the problem with customer education, such as how to use AnswerCall. Problems solved in this manner would enable a front-end close out.

The customer needs to call another department, such as the BusinessOffice, to resolve the trouble. In this case the customer is suppliedwith the correct phone number and the action to be taken.

The problem involves inside wiring, a jack or a piece of equipmentlocated at the customer premises. If the customer is not enrolled in amaintenance plan, they are notified of any charges that might apply. Nodispatch is made if the customer does not wish to pay.

The trouble location can be isolated to the outside or inside plant. Foroutside plant problems (cable, drop, etc.), the trouble is routed to theoutside dispatch pool; for inside plant problems (switching equipment,line translations, frame equipment, network terminal equipment, etc.),the trouble is routed to the inside dispatch pool.

The information collected is not sufficient to make a decision at thisstage. The trouble is routed to a Maintenance Center via MaintenanceContact Support System (MCSS) 306 for further manual screening,additional tests, and analysis by a Maintenance Administrator (MA). MCSS306 interfaces with Work and Force Administration/Control (WFA/C) 300and WFA/Dispatch Out (WFA/DO) 120 for requesting work force functions oractions to be performed by craft personnel. WFA/Dispatch In (WFA/DI) 302is provided for craft personnel to update the status of completed workin WFA/C 300. Some examples of troubles updated by WFA/DI into WFA/Ccould include cross talk, noisy, no dial tones at times, etc., where theline tests okay. Trouble reports where the data on the line recorddoesn't agree with the information the customer has given could also beincluded, such as new service orders that have been completed but havenot been posted to LMOS Host 116.

Step S3--Perform Further Screening and Determine Fault

The Auto Screen and Mechanized Screening sub-systems of LMOS Host 116are rule-based applications that make some of the routing decisionsbased on Mechanized Loop Testing (MLT) 314 test results and othertrouble characteristics. Troubles that fall out of these subsystems areforwarded to a Maintenance Center for further analysis by an MA asmentioned above.

MAs make full use of MLT 314 and other sources of information to performinteractive testing with technicians. Several MLT tests are submittedfor each trouble ticket. MAs compare the results to provisioning data inthe LMOS Host 116 to identify the possible location of the trouble inthe loop. MAs may contact the customer to gather additional information,or to conduct additional testing. After this process is completed, theMA updates the ticket and, if appropriate, dispatches the trouble to theappropriate craft technician.

Step S4--Dispatch

The Work and Force Administration/Dispatch Out (WFA/DO) 120 systemsupports the MA by providing logging, grouping and outside plantdispatching functionality for plain old telephone service (POTS) andnon-designed special service troubles. All troubles that aresuccessfully processed by the Mechanized Screener subsystem of LMOS F/E312 flow through automatically to WFA/DO. If the Mechanized Screener isunable to make a routing decision, the trouble falls out for furtherscreening by an MA, and is manually entered into WFA/DO 120 by the MA.For POTS, as many as 60% of troubles routed to a Maintenance Center flowthrough to dispatch. WFA/DO 120 supports this flow-through by performingthe following activities.

Step S5--Perform Automatic Testing

Once the trouble from LMOS F/E 312 is received in WFA/DO 120, the systemmay request a full. MLT test. The results of the test are used todetermine the approximate location and cause of the trouble. This inputis one of the factors considered by WFA/DO 120 in making a dispatchdecision.

Step 6--Correct Problem and Close Trouble

The Craft Access System (CAS) 304 allows field technicians to remotelyaccess the operations systems while performing work activity related tothe resolution and closing of a trouble. These activities include, butare not limited to, job dispatch and close-out, circuit testing, timeand materials reporting, spare pair assignments and access to requiredcustomer information. CAS 304 is accessed via a hand held terminal.

The primary functions supported by the CAS 304 are:

Receive New Installation Job

Receive New Maintenance Job

Work on Current Job

Close/Return Installation Job

Close/Return Maintenance Job

The following secondary functions are also supported:

Conduct Loop Testing (via MLT 314)

View Technician Assignment Information

View Technician Load Information

Send/Receive Electronic Mail

FIG. 15 illustrates the architecture of a standard mechanized loop testsystem used in the above described reactive maintenance of networkfacilities. FIG. 15 illustrates the data link between LMOS 128 and MLTsystem 314 via user interface 139. The user interface 139 is connectedto the MLT controller 316 which is a software implemented system whichperforms test sequences, loop access, loop tests, communications anddiagnostics. The MLT controller then transmits the various sequences andtests to test (hardware 318 which accesses the particular circuit to betested and performs access, monitoring, loop test and diagnostics withthe standard telephone central office switch 320 which is connected tosubscriber 322.

The following brief discussion is provided regarding the specifics ofthe mechanized loop tests (MLT). MLT uses AC resistance to see if thereis a telephone or other termination on the line. It makes three ACresistance measurements: T-R, T-G, and R-G. These measurements arecalled the "signature" of a telephone termination. A telephone causes alow AC resistance value. So, if the telephone is connected between thetip and ring, as on a POTS line, the T-R AC resistance value should below. Since there is usually no phone on the tip side or ring side of theline, the AC resistance T-G and R-G should be higher. If either of theT-G or R-G values is low and the T-R value is high, the telephone may beconnected improperly. If none of the values is low, then there isprobably an open fault. Different types of terminations (2-party lines,PBXs) have different signatures. Both AC and DC resistance values areused to identify these different signatures. MLT includes a list of DCand AC values that correspond to certain line conditions. This listspecifies what a short looks like in terms of DC resistance and what aKey Set looks like in terms of AC resistance. MLT compares themeasurements it gets to the ones on this list. For example, MLT expectsa standard POTS line to have a certain AC resistance. After it runs theAC Signature Test on a line, it checks to see if the results match thestandard values. If they do, MLT decides that there are no AC problemsand moves on to the next test in the sequence. If they do not match, MLTdecides that there is a problem and does a special test for an opencircuit. MLT makes decisions by comparing the test result values to thelist of AC and DC values it retains.

The MLT standalone testing load is divided into two categories: rapidtests and interactive tests. Rapid tests are characterized by shorttrunk holding times (averaging about 20 seconds) with the release oftest trunks and test equipment under the control of the MLT ControlSoftware. Typical rapid tests include initial test series, pre-dispatchtests, pre-installation tests and tests to verify cable transfers.

Interactive tests are characterized by longer test trunk holding times(2-5 minutes) under the control of the user, and typically require botha test and talk connection to the subscriber's line. Typical testsinclude interactive talk and test with a repair technician (e.g.,identifying a faulty pair in the field) or with a customer (e.g.,TOUCH-TONE frequency test).

All rapid and interactive tests, with the exception of the double-sidedfault sectionalization test, require one test trunk. The double-sidedfault sectionalization test requires a test trunk connection to thefaulted pair and a simultaneous separate test trunk connection to a goodreference pair.

Individual MLT tests are described below. The first set below is runwhen you request a full series of tests on a line. They are initiated bythe FULL request from an MLT test mask. The other MLT requests run asubset of these tests.

An access test is the test that MLT runs when it first connects a testtrunk to the subscriber's line. First it checks for hazardous potential,which is defined as extremely high voltage on the line. That muchvoltage is dangerous, so MLT quickly drops access to the line, putting ahalt to any further testing. If there's no hazardous potential, MLTconnects a busy detector to the line. The busy detector, as you mightexpect, checks to see if there is speech on the line. If there is, MLTdrops access immediately so that the customer is not disturbed.Otherwise, MLT remains connected to the line over the test trunk andmoves on to the next test in the sequence.

A foreign electromotive force (FEMF) test perform a second check forexcess AC or DC voltage. If there is a lot of excess voltage, MLT dropsaccess to the line during the Access Tests discussed above. The FEMFtests look for high (but not necessarily hazardous) voltage. Becausehigh voltage would adversely affect the results of later MLT tests, MLTstops testing if the FEMF tests reveal voltage exceeding a certainlevel.

A line in use test expects that the line to be tested is NOT being usedat the time of the test. It expects that the telephone is on-hook. Tomake sure of this, it does a few checks to make sure that this is thecase.

The first question MLT determines is whether the line appears to be inuse. Each type of central office switch indicates a line in usecondition in a different way. Each has its own line in use "signature."MLT figures out which type of switch is connected to the subscriber'sline and then looks for this signature. If it finds what looks like aline in use condition, it checks for conversation, following by theReceiver Off Hook (ROH) test if conversation is not detected. Otherwise,MLT moves to the next test in the sequence--the intercept test. MLTdetermines whether the line in use condition is because the subscriberis talking on the line. Conversation for all switch types is determinedby use of a speech detector. If it looks like conversation, MLT stopstesting immediately to avoid disturbing the customer. Basically, MLT isdouble-checking to make sure that the busy detector in the Access Testsdidn't make a mistake. If there is no conversation, MLT tries to figureout whether the receiver is really off-hook or if there is a fault thatmakes it look like that's the case. It does that by running areceiver-off-hook (ROH) test.

MLT next determines whether the receiver is really off-hook. The ROHtest distinguishes between a T-R short and an actual off-hook condition.It does this by testing for non-linear devices such as diodes orvaristors, which can only be present if the station set is off-hook.

The intercept test identifies lines that have been taken out-of-service.Out-of-service lines are often called "lines on intercept" since theyare routed to an intercept message. Such lines also have characteristicDC signatures which are purposely placed on the intercept trunks toassist in MLT recognition. If it sees an intercept signature, it stopstesting. If not, it moves on to the next test in the sequence.

The next step is the direct current (DC) test. By now, MLT is satisfiedthat the line is not in use or on intercept. So, it starts the DC and ACtests. An important thing to remember is that MLT removes the linecircuit from the line at this point. The customer is out-of-service--THELINE IS DEAD. The DC tests measure DC resistance and voltage.

Resistance values are used to identify shorts and/or grounds. A shortfault means that current is taking an alternate route between the tipand ring. A ground fault means that current is escaping from the loop oneither the tip or the ring side. MLT next moves on to the next test inthe sequence if it identifies a short or ground fault, unless the faultis a major one. MLT stops testing if it discovers a major fault.

DC voltage values are used to identify a cross to a working pair, amongother things. On a good POTS line, there should be no voltage T-G andR-G. That's because MLT removed the line circuit, which is where DCvoltage comes from on a telephone line. A cross to a working pair meansthat the line has a resistance path to another telephone line and isdrawing battery from that pair--so there should be voltage on whicheverside is crossed with the working pair.

DC resistances are also used to validate non-POTS telephone signatures.Usually, AC resistances are used to identify telephones on the line, butsame terminations (for example, a 756 PBX system) are recognized bytheir DC resistances. MLT compares the DC values it measures to those itexpects for that particular telephone. If MLT measured these values andthe line record indicated the presence of a 756 PBX, then MLT wouldreport a valid PBX signature. And, because it validated a PBX, it wouldskip the AC Signature, Longitudinal Balance, Thermistor, and Opens testssince the presence of a PBX on the line leads to inaccurate results fromthese tests.

An alternating current (AC) signature test then is performed which usesAC resistance measurements to identify POTS and other terminationequipment. Other terminations (2 party, Key Systems) will have differentAC signatures. On a two-party line, one ringer is connectedtip-to-ground and the other is connected ring-to-ground. If MLT seeshigh AC resistance values (doesn't see a valid signature), it suspectsthat there is an open fault and it initiates an opens test.

Next, a longitudinal balance test is performed that measures how likelyit is that the line is noisy. The results are expressed in decibels(dB). A thermistor test is also performed which checks for the presenceof a thermistor on the line. A thermistor is a part of the idletermination in some PBX and Key System telephones. It causes thetelephone line's resistance to decrease as its temperature increases. Byapplying voltage to the line, MLT heats the thermistor and measureschanges in resistance. The presence of thermistors are compared toexpected thermistor locations (i.e., tip to ring, or tip to ground andring to ground) for the termination (for example, PBX) listed in theline record. For example, a tip-to-ring thermistor would be expected ifthe line record lists 701 PBX as the termination.

The thermistor test is performed if the line record indicates that thereshould be a thermistor on the line, or if all other attempts atdetecting a valid station signature have failed.

The opens test is also performed which uses AC capacitance measurementsto analyze the location and type of open on a line. If MLT decides thata line is open, it then determines whether the open is in or out of thecentral office. AC capacitance is a measure of how long a wire is. So,if the length of either the tip or ring wire (for example, the distancefrom the CO to the open) is shorter than a reference length stored forcomparison in each CO, MLT decides that the open is in the centraloffice and reports OPEN IN; if those lengths are longer than thereference value, MLT decides that it is outside of the central office.In the latter case, it also reports the distance (in feet) from thecentral office to the open. The opens test is performed whenever an openis suspected based on results from the DC tests, AC signature test, orthermistor test. A capacitive balance measurement test is performed thatalso uses AC capacitance to compute a percentage called capacitivebalance. Basically, it compares the capacitance of the tip wire to thecapacitance of the ring wire. Because capacitance is used to measure thelength of a wire, the balance measurement is the same as comparing thelengths of the tip and ring wires. Capacitive balance is important whenthere is an open fault. If the lengths from the central office to theopen on both sides of the loop are equal, the balance will be about 100%and MLT will report a balanced open. This means that both sides of theloop are open at the same place. If the lengths are not equal, and thebalance is less than 95% (for example, 150 feet/167 feet=0.90=90%) , MLTwill not report a balanced open. This means that the open is probablyonly on one side--the shorter one. MLT determines which side is shorterand reports either OPEN TIP or OPEN RING.

A line circuit test checks for the proper arrangement of the battery andground in the central office line circuit. The line circuit is theequipment that 1) detects that the phone has been taken off-hook, 2)connects the loop to the switching equipment and battery, 3) acceptsdialed digits, and 4) provides dial tone. All of the tests described sofar are conducted without the line circuit present since MLT removes theline circuit at the start of the DC Tests. Now, MLT has to re-connectthe line circuit to the subscriber's line.

A draw and break dial tone test attempts to draw and break dial tone.MLT electrically simulates a telephone going off-hook and checks for thepresence or absence of dial tone. Then, it removes the simulatedoff-hook condition and checks to see if the dial tone breaks or stops.

A soak test may also be performed that measures DC resistance over timeto determine if a ground is "swinging" and if it may be "dried out."Voltage is applied to the line and a series of six resistancemeasurements are made over a short period of time. The highestresistance value of these six is compared to resistance value seen inthe initial DC test to determine whether the fault is "swinging."

A ringer test may also be used to determine the location of standardringers on a particular line. It checks for the presence of ringers T-R,T-G, and R-G. It then determines whether the results are consistent withwhat was expected from the line record information. If the line recordsays that it is a two-party line with only one party assigned, MLTexpects to see one or more ringers on either the tip or ring side(remember that 2 party ringers are hooked up T-G and R-(3, not T-R likePOTS lines). So, it looks for low AC resistance on either the tip orring side.

A length of loop measurement may also be performed using AC capacitanceto measure the length of a good pair. It functions similarly to theopens test and reports the distance from the central office to thetelephone. This test is run only on single party POTS and coin linesthat have already been deemed TEST OK.

MLT also performs specialized test, sometimes requiring interaction witha subscriber or repair technician. For example, a dial test checks thesubscriber's rotary dial. It requires the assistance of someone at thetelephone in question. When that person dials a "0," MLT measures thedial speed and percent break of the rotary dial. This test is run when aproblem with the dial is suspected (for example, the subscriber can'tcall out).

A touch-tone test checks the condition of the subscriber's touch-tonepad by analyzing the tones that are produced when the subscriber pressesa certain sequence of buttons on the pad. This test is run whenever aproblem is suspected with the touch-tone pad (for example, thesubscriber gets a lot of wrong numbers).

A resistive fault sectionalization test may be performed which measuresthe distance between a fault on a line and the repair technician'slocation along that line. To do this, the repair technician has to tellMLT where he or she is located. This is done by putting an intentionalshort on the telephone line. Then, MLT measures the distance from thefault to the repair technician's short. This distance helps the repairtechnician find the exact location of the fault.

Coin tests may be used that check for potential problems in a cointelephone set. Basically, it checks the two primary mechanisms in thecoin set--the totalizer and the coin relay. The totalizer counts thecoins that a customer puts in. It must be in a certain starting positionwhen the coins are dropped in. When it is in this position, thetotalizer is "homed." Each coin deposited causes the totalizer to sendtones to the central office. When the central office hears enough tones,the customer is allowed to make a call. When a coin test is run, MLTfirst looks for a T-R short. If it finds one, it suspects that thetotalizer is not homed. So, it (a) tries to home the totalizer, (b)listens for tones put out when the totalizer is homed, and (c) measureshow much current it took to home the totalizer. If MLT doesn't find aT-R short, it checks the coin relay. The coin relay is the mechanismthat returns or collects the coins deposited by the customer. It sendsthe coin to either the coin box or the return slot. If MLT sees a T-Gfault, it suspects a problem with the relay. So, it (a) tries to operatethe relay, (b) measures the relay's timing, and (c) measures how muchcurrent was needed to operate the relay.

Unfortunately, this current reactive process for maintaining networkfacilities suffers many significant disadvantageous. For example,reactive maintenance always results in an emergency situation sincecustomers are unsatisfied with any minimal loss of telephone service.Further, the customer perceives that the telephone service provider isnot performing to expectations. In this connection, we have discoveredthat current reactive maintenance processes suffer from lack of thenecessary information to assess troubles and to appropriately dispatchtechnicians to correct reactive troubles in an efficient manner.

For example, we have discovered that current reactive maintenanceprocesses are unable to analyze a current reactive problem usinginformation regarding similar and related troubles that have beenexperienced contemporaneously with other network facilities. This typeof information is sometimes the most valuable, since it provides avignette or small picture of current conditions in the area of thereactive problem. In addition, we have discovered that current reactivemaintenance processes also suffer from the inability to collate reactivetroubles with proactive troubles. Accordingly, we have discovered thatfield technicians for current maintenance systems are unable to correctdifferent categories of troubles in substantially the same geographicarea. Thus, much additional work and expense is required since fieldtechnicians are not appropriately dispatched to areas to maximizeefficiency, minimize travel and minimize repair time.

We have also discovered that some reactively reported troubles may beresolved by comparing these troubles to already determined and relatedreactive and proactive troubles. We have further discovered that formuch better and accurate determinations of the presence of a trouble,baseline data indicating the regular working conditions of thecommunication line is needed and must be available on a real-time basis.We have also discovered that many reactive troubles are discovered andreported when technicians have already bean dispatched to thesubstantially same geographic area to correct related troubles.

Accordingly, other attempts at repairing and/or maintaining networkfacilities have taken a "proactive" approach. FIG. 16 illustrates onecurrent process for proactively repairing and/or maintaining networkfacilities. As will be discussed in detail below, we have discoveredthat this current process of proactive maintenance for telephone relatedoperations has significant disadvantages, particularly with respect tothe distributed database architecture of data being stored in manydifferent databases. The various components/systems that have beendescribed previously are not described in connection with FIG. 16. Notethat Customer Record Information System (CRIS) 324 that handles customerbilling is further provided with its own data as well.

The proactive maintenance is performed as follows. Automatic LineInsulation Test (ALIT) 336 tests for any line insulation failures on acable basis that appear as leakage resistances and/or dc voltages viaswitch 338. The results of the tests conducted by ALIT 336 aretransmitted to PREDICTOR 334, described below, for analysis. PREDICTOR334 then determines whether the cable should be considered in a faultstatus. PREDICTOR 334 utilizes Automated Cable Expertise (ACE) system332 which analyzes and stores historical data on outside plant troublesfor the determination of a faulty cable. PREDICTOR 334 also utilizesCable Repair Administration System (CRAS) 330 that provides analyticalreports on outside plant troubles and technician performanceadministrative reports for the determination of a faulty cable.PREDICTOR 334 also utilizes Loop Activity Terminal Information System(LATIS) 328 that provides analytical reports on where operating costsare occurring in outside plant troubles. PREDICTOR 334 also utilizesMechanized Trouble Analysis System (MTAS) 326 that provides customertrouble history data in general.

When PREDICTOR 334 estimates that a telephone line has a potentialtrouble via ALIT 336 (as described in detail below), LMOS/Host 116 isnotified which in turn notifies LMOS/FE 312. LMOS/FE 312 then, with theassistance of maintenance personnel, requests MLT 314 to perform a morein depth analysis of the telephone line via switch 338 to determine moreprecisely if the cable is in fact faulty. FIG. 17 illustrates asimplified block diagram of the current process for proactivelyrepairing and/or maintaining network facilities illustrated in FIG. 16.Note that LMOS/FE 312 and LMOS/Host 116 are represented by LMOS 34C. Inaddition, Automated Cable Expertise (ACE) system 332, Cable RepairAdministration System (CRAS) 330, Loop Activity Terminal InformationSystem (LATIS) 328, Mechanized Trouble Analysis System (MTAS) 326 arecollectively represented by Trouble Ticket Analysis System 342.

Significantly, we have discovered that the current cable fault detectionperformed by PREDICTOR 334 is insufficient, and at times inaccurate fortoday's telephone network situations. Accordingly, we have discoveredthat a better method of common cause fault detection or geographicgrouping of proactive faults is needed which is explained below.

A detailed description of the current cable fault detection performed byPREDICTOR is described herein. Customers are the main source ofinformation about outside plant trouble. Cable dispatch centers relyheavily on customer trouble reports to identify sections of plant thatneed repair. However, other sources are available, and are often used tosupplement information reported by the customer. Automated LineInsulation Tests (ALIT), messages from Electronic Switching Systems, andalarms from cable pressure systems all supply information that mayrelate to outside plant trouble.

PREDICTOR is a computer based system that monitors these sources anduses thresholding techniques to identify probable areas of trouble inoutside plant. This results in two important benefits. First, it reducesthe amount of manual activity required to analyze many sources of data.Second, it has the potential to reduce customer report rates throughearly detection and repair of cable trouble.

PREDICTOR's main advantage is that its output can be altered to suit theneeds of a specific user community. This flexibility is controlleddirectly by the user and can be exercised on a daily basis if necessary.PREDICTOR has several objectives.

1. Reduce the report rate in the outside plant.

2. Improve customer service by rapid detection of outside plant trouble.

3. Consolidate all outside plant (OSP) related messages into a commonprocessor.

4. Provide early warning of troubles on coin lines and stations to CoinRepair to avoid lost revenue.

PREDICTOR's main relationship is with the Loop Maintenance OperationsSystem (LMOS). Data circuits to LMOS allow PREDICTOR to receive nightlydata base updates, and to request information during the day. The linksto LMOS also give PREDICTOR access to Mechanized Loop Testing (MLT). Aswe will see, MLT plays an important role in reducing the amount ofinformation that people must analyze in finding cable troubles. One ofPREDICTOR's goals is to reduce the manual effort spent in analyzing ALITmessages.

The receipt of a trouble indication is not always a sure sign of outsideplant cable trouble. Trouble messages can be generated on properlyworking equipment for many reasons. For example, leakage is a normalcondition for certain kinds of terminal (equipment (e.g., ground startPBX). PREDICTOR uses several methods to increase the validity of itsreports.

First, PREDICTOR checks all incoming messages against a bypass list toeliminate any indications on ground start PBX etc. Second, PREDICTORlooks for cable complements with accumulated trouble indications. Third,PREDICTOR uses MLT to verify that trouble exists on a targeted facility.These methods enhance the validity and usefulness of PREDICTOR input.

Reports can be obtained from PREDICTOR in several ways. Reports can bescheduled for issue at specific times during the day. For example, theMorning Report will be issued in the early morning before the first workassignment for outside plant technicians. Other reports are issued inresponse to alarm conditions identified by PREDICTOR's thresholdingmechanisms. PREDICTOR scans its collection of trouble indications everyhalf hour and issues Alarm Reports whenever predefined thresholds areexceeded.

Users also may request Special Reports from PREDICTOR at unscheduledtimes. This report is analogous to the Morning Report except that it isavailable on demand. If, for example, an ALIT run is scheduled for theafternoon hours, a Special Report can be designed for the user toexamine the results of the run. Special Report thresholds can be alteredfor each report requested.

Verification of trouble conditions by MLT is an important feature ofPREDICTOR. It is needed to prevent false dispatches and minimize theeffort spent in manual analysis. Although PREDICTOR test some incomingindications automatically, users access MLT from a CRT/keyboard. Thetransaction will provide users with a flexible means of verifyingsuspected trouble conditions in a cable via MLT. Accordingly, a cablefault may be then analyzed on a line by line basis using MLT. PREDICTORdoes not provide trouble reports on individual line troubles. Rather,PREDICTOR provides trouble reports on a cable basis. MLT may then usethe cable trouble reports to test each of the lines in the cablesuspected to be in trouble. Its main features are as follows.

1. Cable oriented input. Users are allowed to test by entering cable andpair information directly without manually translating betweencable/pair and telephone number.

2. Line record information. The output from MLT is merged with selectedline record data stored in PREDICTOR's database. This merging makes iteasier for users to detect relationships between test results andoutside plant equipment.

3. Testing on multiple lines. The transaction allows users to begintests on a series of lines with a single entry. This is done by enteringa cable and pair range or by initiating tests from the displayed outputof another transaction.

Updates to PREDICTOR's database will be received periodically from LMOS.However, manual updating of lines assigned to bypass or selectivefacilities status will be required. Single and multiple record retrievalassist users in maintaining the bypass and selective facilities featuresof PREDICTOR.

There are two transactions that allow users to retrieve information fromPREDICTOR's database and to update the bypass and selective facilitiesstatus of the outside plant. The Display PREDICTOR Line Record (DPLR)transaction retrieves records from the database. The Change Status(CSTS) transaction is used with DPLR to assign lines to the bypass andselective facilities files.

In addition to the Bypass and Selective Facilities, users will alsomaintain the Scratch Pad File. This is best described as a mechanizedlog where relevant data on outside plant facilities (such as sheathopenings and temporary closures, etc.) can be stored and retrieved. Theformat of the scratch pad is flexible and can be tailored to the needsof the user.

Scratch Pad entries include fields to identify the facility number,cable and pair ranges, and date of entry. A lengthy remarks field isalso provided. The user can enter an estimated completion date forconstruction activity, rehabilitation work and so on.

Users will be able to enter selected data on routine work, or otherinformation as they feel is necessary. PREDICTOR's reports will beflagged to alert users whenever incoming trouble indications fall withinthe range of an entry in the Scratch Pad. This is a simple way ofnotifying users of pending jobs, temporary closures, open sheaths,cables under observation or other relevant information.

PREDICTOR is designed to reduce the manual effort spent analyzing avariety of trouble messages relating to the exchange plant on a cablebasis. PREDICTOR accepts messages from XBAR and ESS switching machinesand applies thresholding algorithms to identify potential cablefailures. MLT is used to verify any messages selected by the algorithms.A bypass file allows PREDICTOR to filter out false indications fromground start PBX and other special terminations.

There are four reports provided by PREDICTOR. The Morning Report helpsusers select routine work items for early morning dispatch. SpecialReports can be requested at any time to summarize activity in ageographical area. Alarm reports are based on ESS messages that aremonitored continuously. Coin Reports provide MLT verified troubles oncoin lines.

Since the inception of PREDICTOR, other functions and special featureshave been added to enhance the product.

1. connect a user's terminal with a switching machine for establishingtwo-way communications. Using standard ESS message syntax as input, theoutput is optionally returned to the user in standard ESS messageformat.

2. permit PREDICTOR to accept alarm messages, creates and prints areport containing the messages.

3. accepts a subset of LIT and diagnostic messages from the DMS-100switch and provides a query function for this switch.

4. treat some facilities or telephone numbers with special processing.This function is provided by allowing special processing. Furthercontrol is extended to the selection/rejection of messages receivedconcerning the facilities or telephone numbers from the switch. Controlmay be specified by data type, cable, pair, pair range, telephonenumber, telephone number range, and class of service.

5. allow the user add/change/delete data associated with selectivefacilities for a particular telephone number. It has options for all theitems mentioned above.

6. provide an interface from PREDICTOR to the LMOS Tracker subsystem anda means of testing and entering cable troubles into LMOS.

7. allow a user to do single line tests on any data types in the Tdatadirectory within any MLT testable wire center. Troubles may be enteredinto LMOS if the user-established criteria is met.

8. permit users to use the output from the statistics gathering andanalysis program to adjust threshold and complement sizes and ignoresome diagnostic messages.

PREDICTOR also provides the following additional report features:

1. access and print entries, sorted by wire center and start date, for aset of wire centers defined by the Maintenance Center user list.

2. display the complete MLT summary test results rather than just theVER code.

3. provide the capability to easily switch a list of wire centers fromone set of thresholds to another. Three sets of thresholds can be used:dry, normal and wet.

4. provide the user with a fast report based on a specified wire centeror a list of wire centers.

With all the above proactive mairtenance processes that are currentlyprovided by ALIT, PREDICTOR and MLT, we have also discovered that theseprocesses are insufficient for today's telephone network needs. Forexample, PREDICTOR provides trouble status only on a cable name basis.Therefore, PREDICTOR misses those cable failures where multiple cablenames appear in and share the same cable sheath. Further, becausecurrent processes in ALIT are not processed in an efficient manner, ALITprocessing is typically unable to be completed in one evening. Thus,faults or potential faults in outside plant facilities often goundetected for several days, due to PREDICTOR's use of only a portion ofthe cable pair failures in the outside plant in question.

We have further discovered that there are unique advantages to combininga reactive maintenance system with a proactive maintenance system. Forexample, we have discovered that field technicians that have beendispatched to resolve reactively determined troubles are generallycapable and trained to also resolve proactively determined troubles.Further, we have discovered that reactively and proactively determinedtroubles that occur within a specific geographic area have generallycommon problems that are more easily corrected when resolved in a singletask or order. Accordingly, we have also discovered that great savingsin efficiency, cost and time result from a combined proactive andreactive maintenance system permitting proactive and reactive troublesto be resolved together.

While the above goals of maximizing reuse of customer facilitiesincluding outside plant facilities and office equipment facilities hasbeen a long standing and traditional objective or goal of all telephonecompanies for over one hundred years, we have also discovered that thebenefits of reusing customer facilities are not sufficient to outweighthe disadvantages of requiring installers to be disdispatched to makethe necessary alterations to customer facilities.

In addition, we have discovered that in the overwhelming majority ofsituations, when a customer location disconnects telephone service, forexample, when a customer is moving to a different location, anothercustomer will typically move into the previous customer location andrequest new telephone service which is typically compatible with theprevious customer facilities.

We have further discovered that it is more beneficial to maintain theexisting connections to customer facilities for a particular customerlocation, since it is likely another customer will move into thedisconnected customer location in the near future, thereby eliminatingthe need to dispatch installers to install outside plant or officeequipment facilities.

We have further discovered that an overall combined provisioning andmaintenance system where network facilities are maintained withoutsubstantial alteration, and where the network facilities are at leastone of proactively or reactively maintained provides distinct advantagesover prior arrangements.

Thus, it is desirable to provide better and more efficient reactive andproactive processes for detecting and correcting network facility faultsand potential faults.

It is also desirable to analyze facilities on a telephone line basis inan efficient manner to prevent unnecessarily wasting of time andresources to perform detailed testing on all lines in a cable.

It is also desirable to provide a more organized system of storing datain a distributed database system to prevent unnecessary redundancy andfacilitate database consistency.

It is also beneficial to provide a reactive maintenance process thatappropriately dispatches technicians to correct reactive troubles in anefficient manner.

It is further beneficial to provide a reactive maintenance process thatcollates reactive troubles with proactive troubles in an appropriatemanner.

It is further desirable to provide a reactive maintenance process thatpermits field technicians to correct different categories of troubles insubstantially the same geographic area.

It is also beneficial to provide a reactive maintenance process thatappropriately dispatches field technicians to different areas tomaximize efficiency, minimize travel and minimize repair time.

It is further beneficial to provide a reactive maintenance process thatis able to analyze a current reactive problem using informationregarding similar and related troubles that have been experiencedcontemporaneously with other network facilities. This type ofinformation is sometimes the most valuable, since it provides a vignetteor small picture of current conditions in the area of the reactiveproblem.

It is also desirable to resolve reactively reported troubles bycomparing these troubles to already determined and related reactive andpreactive troubles.

It is further desirable to utilize baseline data for the communicationline for much better and accurate determinations of the presence of atrouble on a real-time basis.

It is also desirable to inform technicians that have already beendispatched to the substantially same geographic area to correct allrelated troubles.

It is further desirable to combine a reactive maintenance system with aproactive maintenance system. It is further desirable for fieldtechnicians that have been dispatched to resolve reactively determinedtroubles to also resolve proactively determined troubles.

It is also desirable to group or bundle reactively and proactivelydetermined troubles that occur within a specific geographic area as aresult of the possibility of having common problems that are more easilycorrected when resolved in a single task or order.

It is also desirable to obtain savings in efficiency, cost and timeresult from a combined proactive and reactive maintenance systempermitting proactive and reactive troubles to be resolved together.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a feature and advantage of the present invention to provide betterand more efficient reactive and proactive processes and a system fordetecting and correcting network facility faults and potential faults.

It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to analyzefacilities on a telephone line basis in an efficient manner to preventunnecessarily wasting of time and resources to perform detailed testingon all lines in a cable.

It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to providea more organized system of storing data in a distributed database systemto prevent unnecessary redundancy and facilitate database consistency.

It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to providea reactive maintenance process that appropriately dispatches techniciansto correct reactive troubles in an efficient manner.

It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to providea reactive maintenance process that collates reactive troubles withproactive troubles in an appropriate manner.

It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to providea reactive maintenance process that permits field technicians to correctdifferent categories of troubles in substantially the same geographicarea.

It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to providea reactive maintenance process that appropriately dispatches fieldtechnicians to different areas to maximize efficiency, minimize traveland minimize repair time.

It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to providea reactive maintenance process that is able to analyze a currentreactive problem using information regarding similar and relatedtroubles that have been experienced contemporaneously with other networkfacilities.

It is another feature and advantage to resolve reactively reportedtroubles by comparing these troubles to already determined and relatedreactive and proactive troubles.

It is another feature and advantage to utilize baseline data for thecommunication line for much better and accurate determinations of thepresence of a trouble on a real-time basis.

It is another feature and advantage to inform technicians that havealready been dispatched to the substantially same geographic area tocorrect all related troubles.

It is another feature and advantage to combine a reactive maintenancesystem with a proactive maintenance system. It is another feature andadvantage for field technicians that have been dispatched to resolvereactively determined troubles to also resolve proactively determinedtroubles.

It is also a feature and advantage to group or bundle reactively andproactively determined troubles that occur within a specific geographicarea as a result of the possibility of having common problems that aremore easily corrected when resolved in a single task or order.

It is also a feature and advantage to obtain savings in efficiency, costand time result from a combined proactive and reactive maintenancesystem permitting proactive and reactive troubles to be resolvedtogether.

It is a feature and advantage of the present invention to maintain theexisting connections to customer facilities for a particular customerlocation, since it is likely another customer will move into thedisconnected customer location in the near future, thereby eliminatingthe need to dispatch installers to install outside plant or officeequipment facilities.

Previous efforts to reduce provisioning costs and improve provisioningservices have focused on improving the flow of work through the existingprovisioning steps which have been described. This approach seeks toimprove an underlying process that was developed to support provisioningin an analog copper facilities environment. In essence it seeks toimprove flow-through. In contrast to this, the present invention isintended to provide an essentially no-flow paradigm where most servicerequests move directly from service negotiation to service activationwithout going through current largely unnecessary assignment processes.The system of the invention fully supports provisioning of services andalso facilitates future enhancements to support provisioning ofvideo-on-demand (VOD), ISDN and other advanced services.

The objects of the invention include reducing the operating cost ofprovisioning business functions, such as Install Inside and InstallOutside; increasing the reliability of providing on-time, error-freeservice by reducing the number of orders that require manual assistance;increasing the flexibility of the provisioning process to support theactivation of a new product or service quickly and inexpensively;enhancing customer service and customer retention by providing fasteraccess to all products and services; providing a strong long-terminformation infrastructure that meets the needs of the existing productsand provides a foundation that can handle the requirements of newproducts.

The present invention is based, in part, on the realization that currentprocesses and systems established to implement reactive and proactivemaintenance were implemented for computer systems designed several yearsago. These older computer systems, it has been discovered, were unableto perform the required provisioning, reactive and/or proactiveprocesses to properly maintain customer network facilities. Accordingly,significant network degradation has resulted.

The present invention is also based, in part, on the discovery that thecurrent reactive maintenance process is deficient for various reasons,including not having available the appropriate information includingbaseline information, related reactive and proactive troubleinformation. In addition, the present invention is also based, in part,on the discovery that reactive and proactive troubles may be effectivelyand efficiently grouped to maximize technician efficiency, effectivenessand timeliness of any needed inspection/repair.

The present invention further provides the following additionalfeatures:

(1) reduce network services group operating costs;

(2) support goals for quality service;

(3) improve the quality, variety, case of use, and accessibility oftelephone network facility related products and services.

(4) react swiftly to rapidly changing markets and technologies with theability to meet various customer needs.

We have further determined that a significant opportunity forincremental cost savings for maintaining network facilities is in sevenof the Sales and Service Delivery Business Process areas: CreateCapacity; Sell Products/Services & Process Order; Design and AssignFacilities; Administer Memory; Install Inside; Install Outside; andRepair & Maintenance. These seven areas have been determined torepresent 43.6% of the Sales and Service Delivery operating expense.Further analysis showed that within these seven business process areas,64% of operating costs are associated with supporting residential plainold telephone service (PC)TS).

Proper maintenance of these business process areas are also critical forreasons beyond cost. A residential customer's perception of the serviceprovider is largely driven by how easily service is activated orchanged, how reliable the service is, and how effectively the serviceprovider responds when the customer has a problem with their service. Asa result of this analysis, the present invention's reengineering efforthas focused on two functional areas, residential service provisioningand outside loop maintenance.

We have analyzed the current inter-office and loop maintenanceenvironments to determine the effectiveness of each. We have discoveredas a result of our analysis that even though the current loopmaintenance business processes have been mechanized over time, theconceptual framework has not changed from the pre-mechanized workenvironment. Because of this lack of change, the majority (92%) ofnetwork troubles are still identified as a result of customer reportedtroubles, i.e., reactive maintenance. While systems and procedures existto proactively identify troubles, they are not effective, and onlygenerate 8% of current trouble reports.

Accordingly, another feature and advantage of the present invention isto further enhance proactive maintenance instead of waiting forcustomers to identify network troubles. This has two direct benefits.First, the trouble report rate drops because the majority of networktroubles are identified and fixed before they become customer affecting.This benefit results in reduced maintenance costs and increased customersatisfaction. Second, proactively identified troubles can be fixed inbulk rather than on a pair by pair basis, reducing the amount of time ittakes to resolve network problems.

This emphasis on proactive maintenance also provides several indirectbenefits. The average cost per trouble can be reduced by providing themeans to increase the number of front end close outs and isolate thetrouble location for the plant technician. Unfortunately, the priorsystems are very expensive and operate in an antiquated hardware andsoftware environment. For example, LMOS has the highest catastrophicoutage rate of any major computer system. Accordingly, we havediscovered that significant changes are necessary to improve the currentreactive and proactive maintenance systems.

To accomplish the above objectives, a service analysis system isprovided in an administration system for a public switched telephonenetwork. The administration system includes an attendant station forreceiving service requests and collecting customer information, creditverification means, service order processing (SOP) means for creatingand distributing service orders for processing by downstream processingsystems such as Service Order Analysis and Control (SOAC) means, aComputer System for Mainframe operations (COSMOS) means, SWITCH means,and Loop Facility Assignment and Control System (LFACS) means; andAdjunct Processor (AP) means having storage for storing data includingLiving Unit (LU) data, network facility data and Telephone Number (TN)data. The service analysis system proactively analyzes the workingstatus of customer network facilities including a communication line ina communication cable associated with a customer. The service analysissystem includes an automatic line insulation test (ALIT) system testingthe communication line in the communication cable associated with thecustomer producing trouble indicators indicating a potentially defectivecommunication line, and a mechanized loop testing (MLT) system testinggroups prioritized for the communication line. The service analysissystem also includes a data processor, operatively connected to the ALITand MLT system, filtering the trouble indicators received from the ALITsystem from predetermined communication services associated with thecommunication line that provide potentially false trouble indicatorsproducing filtered trouble indicators, and generating a list of troubleindicators to be considered when determining whether the communicationline is potentially defective. The data processor also generates an endto end description of the communication line to be tested, groups thevalid trouble indicators that have common network elements in groups,and prioritizes the groups for performing a second level test of thecommunication line by the MLT system. The data processor discards thegroups tested by the MLT system that are in a satisfactory statusresponsive to predetermined criteria, prioritizes the group's that arepotentially defective indicating the potentially defective communicationline generating prioritized groups, and generates a report to be usedfor examining the potentially defective communication line using theprioritized groups.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention a serviceanalysis system is provided that proactively analyzes the working statusof customer network facilities including a communication line in acommunication cable associated with a customer. The service analysissystem includes a first test system testing the communication line inthe communication cable associated with the customer in accordance witha first test producing trouble indicators indicating a potentiallydefective communication line, and a second test system testing groups ofthe trouble indicators associated with the communication line inaccordance with a second test. The service analysis system also includesa data processor, operatively connected to the first and second testsystems, filtering the trouble indicators received from the first testsystem from predetermined communication services associated with thecommunication line that provide potentially false trouble indicatorsproducing filtered trouble indicators. The data processor also generatesa list of the filtered trouble indicators to be considered whendetermining whether the communication line is potentially defective, andgenerates an end to end description of the communication line to betested. The data processor discards the groups tested by the second testsystem that are in a satisfactory status, prioritizes the groups thatare potentially defective indicating the potentially defectivecommunication line generating prioritized groups, and generates a reportto be used for examining the potentially defective communication lineusing the prioritized groups.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method isprovided for proactively analyzing the working status of customernetwork facilities including a communication line in a communicationcable associated with a customer. The method includes the steps ofperforming a first level test of the communication line in thecommunication cable associated with the customer producing troubleindicators indicating a potentially defective communication line,filtering the trouble indicators from predetermined communicationservices associated with the communication line that provide potentiallyfalse trouble indicators producing valid trouble indicators, andgenerating a list of the valid trouble indicators to be considered whendetermining whether the communication line is potentially defective. Themethod also includes the steps of generating an end to end descriptionof the communication line to be tested, grouping the filtered troubleindicators that have common network elements in groups, and prioritizingthe groups for performing a second level test of the communication line.The method also includes the steps of testing the groups prioritized forthe communication line, discarding the groups that are in a satisfactorystatus responsive to predetermined criteria, prioritizing the groupsthat are potentially defective indicating the potentially defectivecommunication line generating prioritized groups, and generating areport to be used for examining the potentially defective communicationline using the prioritized groups.

In another embodiment of the invention, a reactive maintenance system isused in conjunction with an administration system for a public switchedtelephone network. The administration system includes an attendantstation for receiving service requests and collecting customerinformation, credit verification service order processor (SOP) forcreating and distributing service orders for processing by downstreamprocessing systems such as Service Order Analysis and Control (SOAC)system, a Computer System for Mainframe Operations (COSMOS) system,SWITCH system, Loop Facility Assignment and Control System (LFACS)system, and Adjunct Processor (AP) having storage for storing dataincluding Living Unit (LU) data, network facility data and TelephoneNumber (TN) data, a test system testing a communication line in acommunication cable associated with the customer producing troubleindicators indicating a potentially defective communication line, and adata processor generating an end to end description of the communicationline to be tested, prioritizing the groups that are potentiallydefective indicating the potentially defective communication linegenerating prioritized groups, and generating a report to be used forexamining the potentially defective communication line using theprioritized groups.

The reactive maintenance system analyzes the working status of customernetwork facilities in response to a customer request reporting acustomer trouble and includes a reactive maintenance attendant stationreceiving the customer request, retrieving related customer profileinformation including at least one of billing, service order, circuittest history, and trouble history, obtaining a description of thecustomer trouble and entering a trouble type associated therewith, andbuilding a trouble report. the reactive maintenance system also includesa test system testing the communication line associated with the troublereport and generating test results. A caseworker using the test systemdetermines whether additional information is needed, or whether thetrouble report can be closed out, or whether the trouble report shouldbe dispatched to a customer work group. If the trouble requires atechnician, the trouble report is reviewed by the customer work grouptogether with existing related proactive trouble reports by the customerwork group. The reactive maintenance system also includes a work requestprocessing and dispatch system that groups related open work requestswith the trouble report and the existing related proactive troublereports based on grouping rules including similarity of trouble,similarity of geographic area, and available time. The work requestprocessing and dispatch system builds a work load for a technicianresponsive to pending work requests and technician information includingwork schedule, job type, work areas, and job skills, and generates acompletion message to at least one of the SOP, the SOAC system, theCOSMOS system, the SWITCH system, the LFACS system, the AP, the testsystem, the data processor and the customer as needed.

In another embodiment, a method of reactively analyzing the workingstatus of customer network facilities in response to a customer requestreporting a customer trouble includes the steps of receiving thecustomer request, and retrieving related customer profile informationincluding at least one of billing, service order, circuit test history,and trouble history. The method also includes the steps of obtaining adescription of the customer trouble and entering a trouble typeassociated therewith, building a trouble report, testing thecommunication line and generating test results, and determining,responsive to first criteria, whether additional information is needed,or whether the trouble report can be closed out, or whether the troublereport should be dispatched to a customer work group, and if so,transmitting the trouble report for review by the customer work group.The method also includes the steps of transmitting the trouble reportand related proactive trouble reports to the customer work group usingtrouble routing criteria, mapping the trouble report to a maintenancearea, determining a trouble priority, and assigning a trouble reportstatus, and grouping related open work requests with the trouble reportbased on grouping rules including similarity of trouble, similarity ofgeographic area, and available time. The method further includes thesteps of building a work load for a technician responsive to pendingwork requests and technician information including work schedule, jobtype, work areas, and job skills, and accessing information stored inoperation support systems including at least one of the SOP, the SOACsystem, the COSMOS system, the SWITCH system, the LFACS system, the AP,the first test system, the second test system, and the data processor asneeded. The method also includes the steps of repairing and testing thecommunication line associated with the trouble report to verify that thecommunication line is working, notifying the customer that the troublereport has been resolved and the trouble is closed out, resolving therelated open work requests, generating a completion message responsiveto said repairing and resolving steps, and transmitting the completionmessage to at least one of the SOP, the SOAC system, the COSMOS system,the SWITCH system, the LFACS system, the AP, the first test system, thesecond test system, and the data processor as needed.

In another embodiment, a combination proactive and reactive maintenancesystem is provided that analyzes the working status of customer networkfacilities in response to a customer request reporting a customertrouble. The combined maintenance system includes an attendant stationreceiving the customer request representing a reactively determinedtrouble, and building a first trouble report, and first and second testsystems. The first test system tests a second communication line in thecommunication cable representing a potentially proactively determinedtrouble, and builds a second trouble report. The second test systemtests at least one of the first and second communication lines anddetermines whether at least one of the first and second trouble reports;should be dispatched to a customer work group together with existingrelated proactive and reactive trouble reports to the customer workgroup using trouble routing criteria. The combination system alsoincludes a data processor that generates an end to end description ofthe first and second communication lines to be tested, and a dispatchsystem that groups related open work requests with at least one of thefirst and second trouble reports and the existing related reactive andproactive trouble reports based on grouping rules.

In another embodiment, a method of proactively and reactively analyzingthe working status of customer network facilities in response to acustomer request reporting a customer trouble is provided. The methodmay be utilized in an administration system for a public switchedtelephone network which includes an attendant station for receivingservice requests and collecting customer information, creditverification, service order processor (SOP) for creating anddistributing service orders for processing by downstream processingsystems. Examples of downstream processing systems are a Service OrderAnalysis and Control (SOAC) system, a Computer System for MainframeOperations (COSMOS) system, SWITCH system, Loop Facility Assignment andControl System (LFACS) system, and Adjunct Processor (AP) having storagefor storing data including Living Unit (LU) (data, network facility dataand Telephone Number (TN) data, a first test system testing acommunication line in a communication cable associated with the customerin accordance with a first test producing trouble indicators indicatinga potentially defective communication line, a second test system testinggroups of the trouble indicators associated with the communication linein accordance with a second test, and a data processor generating an endto end description of the communication line to be tested, prioritizingthe groups that are potentially defective indicating the potentiallydefective communication line generating prioritized groups, andgenerating a report to be used for examining the potentially defectivecommunication line using the prioritized groups. The method includes oneor more of the following the steps of:

receiving the customer request;

retrieving related customer profile information;

obtaining a description of the customer trouble and entering a troubletype associated therewith;

building a trouble report;

testing the communication line and generating test results;

determining, responsive to criteria, whether additional information isneeded, or whether the trouble report can be closed out, or whether thetrouble report should be dispatched to a customer work group, and if so,transmitting the trouble report for review by the customer work groupusing trouble routing criteria;

grouping related open work requests and proactively determined troubleswith the trouble report based on grouping rules including at least oneof similarity of trouble, similarity of geographic area, and availabletime, the proactively determined troubles being determined in accordancewith the following steps:

performing a first level test of the communication line in thecommunication cable associated with the customer producing troubleindicators indicating a potentially defective communication line;

generating an end to end description of the potentially defectivecommunication line;

performing a second level test of the potentially defectivecommunication line to identify whether the potentially defectivecommunication line contains the proactively determined troubles; and

building a work load for a technician responsive to the related openwork requests, the trouble report, the proactively determined troublesand technician information including work schedule, job type, workareas, and job skills.

According to the present invention there is also provided aReady-To-Serve (RTS) Adjunct Processor (AP) and associated storage whicheliminates the flow of orders through the multiple current systemsdescribed above. Because the service activation process is totallyre-engineered, service orders may be eliminated. This is accomplishedthrough an integrated inventory management approach which dramaticallydecreases network churn. This approach permits the elimination of PREMISand allows the RTS processor to control TNs and addresses and to effecta greater degree of communication with the Memory AdministrationSystems.

According to the invention there is provided in an administration systemfor a public switched telephone network which includes an attendantstation for receiving service requests and collecting customerinformation, credit verification means, service order processing (SOP)means for creating and distributing service orders for processing bydownstream processing systems such as Service Order Analysis and Control(SOAC) means, a Computer System for Mainframe Operations (COSMOS) means,SWITCH means, and Loop Facility Assignment and Control System (LFACS)means; and Adjunct Processor (AP) means having storage for storing dataincluding Living Unit (LU) data, network facility data and TelephoneNumber (TN) data; and using such system to provide serviceimplementation through the steps of:

receiving at the attendant station a request for service;

determining the reason for the request and customer informationincluding customer name and service address;

checking credit;

using the customer information to determine from the AP the facility andservices available;

selecting a TN from the AP;

recapping the service request with the customer;

determining if the service request is eligible for handling by the AP;

if not eligible, issuing a service order;

if eligible, initiating processing by the AP;

determining in the AP whether Work and Force Administration (WFA) actionis necessary, and if so, preparing and dispatching a message to WFA;

determining in the AP whether a Memory Administration System (MAS) isinvolved and, if so, creating a Translation Packet (TP) and sending theTP to the MAS;

creating a Recent Change (RC) message in response to the TP anddispatching the message to the switch;

updating the data in the AP in response to confirmation of completion ofthe WFA action and the switch translation;

generating and dispatching a completion message from the AP to the SOP;and

preparing a completed service order for distribution and distributingthe same.

In another aspect of the present invention, an administration system fora public switched telephone network (PSTN) includes a first automaticservice order processing system which receives a service request from acustomer requesting service. When the service request is eligible, thefirst automatic service order processing system automatically provisionsfirst customer facilities to execute the service request based uponfirst information stored by the first automatic service order processingsystem, the first information including customer identification data andcustomer facility data. The first information is maintained by the firstautomatic service order processing system without altering the customerfacility data when a disconnect request is received from the customer.When the service request is not eligible, the first automatic serviceorder processing system generates a provisioning request. Theadministration system also includes a second automatic service orderprocessing system operatively connected to the first automatic serviceorder processing system. The second automatic service order processingsystem receives the provisioning request from the first automaticservice order processing system and automatically provisions secondcustomer facilities to execute the service request. The second automaticservice order processing system is not required to maintain the customerfacility data when a disconnect request is received from the customer.

The present invention also features an administration method for apublic switched telephone network (PSTN) including an attendant stationfor receiving service requests. The method includes receiving a servicerequest from a customer at a living unit requesting service, anddetermining whether the living unit had previously been equipped withcustomer facilities for service. When the living unit has not beenpreviously equipped with the customer facilities, the method includesautomatically provisioning customer equipment to execute the servicerequest based upon information including customer identification dataand customer facilities. The information is maintained without alteringthe customer facilities when a subsequent disconnect request is receivedfrom the customer. When the living unit has been previously equippedwith the customer facilities, the method includes determining whetherthe service request corresponding to a living unit is eligible forprovisioning using the customer facilities previously utilized by theliving unit. When the service request is eligible, the method includesautomatically provisioning the customer equipment to execute the servicerequest based upon the information including the customer identificationdata and the customer facilities previously used at the living unit.

In another embodiment of the invention, a method of provisioning andmaintaining the working status of customer network facilities isprovided. The method includes the steps of receiving a service requestfrom a customer at a living unit requesting service, and determiningwhether the service request from the living unit is eligible forprocessing by the adjunct processor. When the service request iseligible, the method automatically provisions customer equipment toexecute the service request based upon information including customeridentification data and customer facilities. The information isgenerally maintained by the adjunct processor without altering thecustomer facilities when a subsequent disconnect request is receivedfrom the customer. The method also includes one or more of receiving acustomer request, retrieving related customer profile information,obtaining a description of the customer trouble and entering a troubletype associated therewith, building a trouble report, testing thecommunication line and generating test results. The method also includesthe steps of grouping related open work requests and proactivelydetermined troubles with the trouble report based on grouping rules, andbuilding a work load for a technician.

In another embodiment of the invention, a combination provisioning andmaintenance system is provided that provisions and analyzes the workingstatus of customer network facilities in response to a customer requestreporting a customer trouble. The combined provisioning and maintenancesystem includes an attendant station receiving the customer requestrepresenting a reactively determined trouble, and building a firsttrouble report, and first and second test systems. The first test systemtests a second communication line in the communication cablerepresenting a potentially proactively determined trouble, and builds asecond trouble report. The second test system tests at least one of thefirst and second communication lines and determines whether at least oneof the first and second trouble reports should be dispatched to acustomer work group together with existing related proactive andreactive trouble reports to the customer work group using troublerouting criteria. The combination system also includes a data processorthat generates an end to end description of the first and secondcommunication lines to be tested, and a dispatch system that groupsrelated open work requests with at least one of the first and secondtrouble reports and the existing related reactive and proactive troublereports based on grouping rules. The combination system further includesan adjunct processor that receives a service request from a customerrequesting service. When the service request is eligible, the adjunctprocessor automatically provisions first customer facilities to executethe service request based upon first information stored by the firstautomatic service order processing system, the first informationincluding customer identification data and customer facility data. Thefirst information is maintained by the adjunct processor withoutaltering the customer facility data when a disconnect request isreceived from the customer.

These, together with other objects and advantages which will besubsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, withreference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof,wherein like numerals refer to like elements throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is diagram illustrating the basic structure or arrangement of thecustomer and telephone company facilities for providing telephoneservice or connection between a telephone caller and a telephonereceiver destination.

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram showing current (prior art) PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN) provisioning.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are flow-charts illustrating current (prior art)service activation flow.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of the current(prior art) PSTN administration system.

FIG. 7 is a detailed diagram of outside plant facilities for a firstcombination of customer locations.

FIG. 8 is a detailed diagram of outside plant facilities for a secondcombination of customer locations which has altered the firstcombination of customer locations.

FIG. 9 is a detailed diagram of office equipment facilities for a firstcombination of customer locations.

FIG. 10 is a detailed diagram of office equipment facilities for asecond combination of customer locations which has altered the firstcombination of customer locations.

FIG. 11 is a detailed diagram of office equipment facilities for a firstcombination of customer locations illustrating inefficient use of jumpercables.

FIG. 12 is a detailed diagram of office equipment facilities for a firstcombination of customer locations illustrating efficient use of jumpercables by altering existing central office facilities.

FIGS. 13-14 illustrate the systems and processes involved in the priorart reactive maintenance flow.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of a standardmechanized loop test (MLT) system.

FIG. 16 illustrates one current process for proactively repairing and/ormaintaining network facilities.

FIG. 17 illustrates a simplified block diagram of the current processfor proactively repairing and/or maintaining network facilitiesillustrated in FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of aprovisioning system for administration of a PSTN.

FIGS. 19 and 20 are flow-charts illustrating the methodology of thesystem illustrated in FIG. 18 in performing service activation.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart of a reactive maintenance process.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram disclosing a hardware arrangement forperforming remote installation of customer facilities used in thereactive and proactive maintenance systems.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart of a method for performing the remoteinstallation using the arrangement disclosed in FIG. 22 for performingremote installation of customer facilities used in the reactive andproactive maintenance systems.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram of a proactive maintenance process.

FIG. 25 is a block diagram of a proactive maintenance surveillance andanalysis process.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram of a proactive service management process.

FIG. 27 is a block diagram of the service analysis architecture andfunctions in the proactive maintenance process.

FIGS. 28A and 28B are functional block diagrams of the service analysisarchitecture and functions in the proactive maintenance process.

FIG. 29 is a table illustrating the ALIT indications sent to the serviceanalysis system.

FIG. 30 is a table illustrating the switch alarm indications sent to theservice analysis system.

FIGS. 31-32 are tables illustrating the service analysis processparameters.

FIG. 33 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sample of the data asstored by the correlation process.

FIG. 34 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sample of the data storedby the prior art.

FIGS. 35-36 are tables illustrating the pre-MLT and post-MLT priorityweightings for the service analysis process.

BEST MODE FOR PRACTICING THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 18 there is shown a block diagram of the architectureof the system used in implementing the preferred embodiment of theinvention. The Ready-To-Serve (RTS) Adjunct Processor (AP) is indicatedat 136 and includes storages or memories 138, 140 and 142. While thesememories are illustrated as separate items it will be understood that asingle storage may be utilized and is preferred. The RTS is connected tothe Sales Service Negotiation System (SSNS) and Common Service OrderProcessor (CSOP) 144. The SSNS comprises a graphical user interfacesystem that presents information to service representatives from avariety of systems and platforms in a window format to assistnegotiation of services and inquiries. The CSOP translates servicerequests from SSNS into service order format. The RTS processor and itsstorage or memories store an inventory of data which includes addressinformation, network facility data and Telephone Number data. Addressesare associated with specific network facility data that will serve theaddress. Customers are associated with the address being served by thenetwork. Included in the customer information is the Telephone Number ofthe customer and the type of service which is provided. Customer dataalso includes information concerning the current and previous customers,service, and status of each.

In general the RTS builds, maintains, and deletes information about theLiving Unit (LU) address. This information is provided as required forthe service negotiation process and is used in the processing of serviceactivation requests. The customer information associated with the LUaddress supports access to customer data which includes existing andformer customer names, class of service, telephone number, status of theline, and disconnect reason.

RTS validates address information provided by the customer at the timeof service negotiation for a service request and provides all LUinformation associated with the address to the service negotiator. PTSprovides capability to search by partial or full address, customer name,and telephone number. RTS contains all LU addresses regardless of theexisting service type including both residential and business addresses.RTS LU databases are initially compiled from a combination of availabledata sources including PREMIS, LFACS, CRIS (Customer Records InformationSystem), LMOS, and 911.

In general RTS builds, maintains, and deletes information common to arange of addresses. These ranges are modifiable for specific addresseswithin an area. This information is provided as required for the servicenegotiation process along with LU information and is used in theprocessing of service activation requests. The information is currentlyreferred to as Street Address Guide (SAG) information and is containedin the existing PREMIS database. The RTS also builds, maintains, anddeletes information about the Facility Information serving a LU address.This information is provided as required to the service negotiationprocess for use in the processing of service activation requests and inproviding assignment data to other downstream systems.

The RTS Facility Information includes living units specific facilityinformation. This facility information includes outside and centraloffice facility data normally listed on the service order, such as:Outside facility data-cable and pair for F1, F2, FN; terminal addressesfor distribution and feeder; status; and central office facility data;F1 cable and pair location; Office Equipment (OE) and location andstatus.

RTS provides the capability to search by facility data and providefacility information and status. RTS maintains a real-time view of thenetwork facilities inventoried in LFACS and COSMOS. RTS performs updatesto the facility data resulting in activity from the facility inventorysystems including LFACS and COMOS/SWITCH. These may result from networkrearrangements in the form of Engineering Work Orders, maintenancechanges, database reconciliations and other service order activity.

RTS stores and maintains all telephone numbers. RTS assigns TNS for allresidential services and most business services. These are administeredin RTS which controls the status and aging of such telephone numbers.Telephone numbers will be provided as required to the servicenegotiation process, for use in the processing of service activationrequests, and in providing to other downstream systems. RTS has thecapability to define, assign and change the status of a telephone numberand will age residential and small business telephone numbers and makethem available for reassignment after proper aging. RTS updates thetelephone number database as a result of customer service requests,database reconciliations with other systems, and changes initiated byother inventory systems. The telephone number database is built fromexisting sources including COSMOS/SWITCH, LFACS, and Customer RecordsInformation System (CRIS), which is the billing system for exchangeservices.

RTS stores and maintains an association for the Access Path. Thisassociation relates a specific LU address to a specific outside facilityand office equipment and has a related customer and telephone number.RTS maintains a real-time view of the network facilities inventoried inLFACS and COSMOS. RTS performs updates to the Access Path data due tochanges in LFACS and COSMOS/SWITCH. While RTS has the capabilities toalter various data associated with a customer address, it is the goal ofRTS to maintain the network or customer facility assignments in tact,under all circumstances for which RTS is applicable. Accordingly, theservice request is first transmitted to RTS to determine whether thesame facilities can be provisioned to the customer, without optimizingoutside plant and office equipment facilities which would be performedby LFACS, SWITCH and COSMOS. RTS, therefore, eliminates the potentialre-working or re-assignment of customer facilities under mostcircumstances which LFACS, COSMOS and SWITCH will attempt for eachservice order request. Thus, RTS minimizes the amount of unnecessaryinstallation work with the realization that the customer facilityassignments may not be optimal.

In service request processing RTS has the ability to search by address,telephone number, customer name or SSN. RTS assigns a unique identifierto each service request which allows users and other systems to trackand inquire about specific service requests. RTS also extracts servicerequest data relevant to RTS processing and determines if a servicerequest is RTS eligible or if the request must be sent to a ServiceOrder Processor for processing.

RTS provides an interface to implement interaction between facilitiesand the Service Request. Thus, RTS determines if the service requestrequires dispatch for customer premises work and, if so, creates datapackets containing service request information which are sent to WFA/DO.

RTS determines if an Activation Message is required for the ServiceRequest and the Memory Administration Systems involved. RTS then createsand distributes activation messages to the various Memory AdministrationSystems. RTS also interfaces with MARCH to send activation messages andreceive acknowledgement of work completed or error in processing.

RTS receives requests from other systems both in real time and batchmodes. These systems include SSNS (Sales Service Negotiation System),SOP, EAMI (Exchange Access Mechanized Input) for processing PrimaryInter-exchange Carrier (PIC) orders, and ASTR (Automatic SuspensionTermination Referral) for processing Suspension, Denial, Restoral andDisconnect orders.

RTS has the functionality to alter and manage distributions depending onthe type of service request.

Thus, RTS transmits data to SOP, WFA/DO, MARCH and the other MemoryAdministration Systems as required. RTS receives facility statusrequests from inventory systems and transmits the facility status backto the requesting system.

RTS provides reports of various types including reports detailinginformation regarding the RTS data inventory, the volume of informationprocessed by RTS, capacity available, time of processing requests ofdifferent types, and number of requests processed.

In order for RTS to accomplish the foregoing certain existing elementsin the system are modified. Thus, SSNS is modified to interface with RTSfor address, TN, customer, and service request information. LFACS andCOSMOS status facilities as RTS, LFACS and COSMOS work without thecurrent working/idle facility status. COSMOS loads business TNs intoRTS. WFA/DO interfaces with RTS for dispatch requests and confirmations.RTS interfaces with MARCH for activation messages and configurations.RTS distributes to the other MA systems. SOP accepts an order from SSNS.SOP must also be able to accept the completion trigger from RTS andmatch it with a service order in its pending files.

As seen in FIG. 18, RTS 136 is also linked to other elements of thesystem including MARCH 122, WFA 120, SOP 106, SOAC 110, LFACS 112,COSMOS 114, and other MA systems 146. A link to a third net and itsconnected elements is provided at 148. SOP 106 is linked to SOAC at 110for handling those requests which are not RTS eligible.

The method of operation of this preferred embodiment of the invention isnow described in connection with the flow chart in FIGS. 19 and 20.

Referring to FIG. 19, at 150 the customer service representativedetermines the customer's address and the reason for the call. This maybe for ordering service, making bill payment arrangements, registering adeposit, or calling for service maintenance. The call is handled ortransferred according to need. If the customer is calling for newservice or a change to existing service, the process proceeds to 152.

At 152 the customer service representative gathers the necessaryinformation including the name of the calling party, the name of thecustomer, and the service address. If this is a new customer, theservice representative may also obtain employment history, date ofbirth, SSN, and previous address information. The billing name andaddress is determined if different from the service address. Therepresentative also ascertains how the customer wishes their service tobe listed, the numbers and types of directories, calling cards, and anydisclosures that are required.

At 154, the customer's credit history is checked using internal andexternal data sources. Through this step at 154 the process has been thesame as that described in the current system illustrated in FIGS. 2 and5. At 156 the service representative takes the customer service addressinformation provided and uses the adjunct processor referred to as "RTS"136 in FIG. 19 to verify the address, determine the working status ofthe address and determine the serving wire center and other commonaddress information such as community and tax codes. Based on the wirecenter serving the customer, the service representative is able todetermine what services are available to the customer.

At 158, the Assignment Section Information is retrieved from RTSincluding the network address such as cable, pair, binding post, timeslot identification, etc. From this information a determination can bemade whether the address is RTS eligible, what services may be offeredto the customer, and whether the requested service may be provided overthe existing network.

At 160, service is negotiated with the customer, matching the customerneeds with the available services as at 18 in FIG. 3. At 162 theinstallation time is scheduled and due date for service negotiated as instep 20 in FIG. 3.

At 164, the selection of Telephone Number is now made from RTS whichcontains all TNs and also assists in administration of those numbers.Administration of TNs includes the categories, status and availabilityof the TN. This TN is based on the wire center serving the area and theavailability of the TN. RTS supports the selection of a preferred orspecial TN by the customer.

At 166, the service representative recaps the service request to insurethat the customer order accurately reflects the customer requirements asin step 24 in FIG. 3.

At 168, a determination is made to identify the service request as RTSeligible. This eligibility is based on the address being served, thestatus of network facilities and the services requested. If the servicerequest is RTS eligible, the request is sent to RTS 136 in FIG. 19 forprocessing. If the service request is not RTS eligible, the request maybe processed in the current service activation process environment. Thisis indicated at 170 where a conventional service order is issuedfollowed by the remainder of the current service order processing steps.

If the service request can be processed by RTS, it is received by RTS at172 in FIG. 20. The service request is received by RTS and validated andchecked for format accuracy and RTS eligibility at 174 in FIG. 20.

At 176, RTS places the service request in a log for further use andidentification. This permits a check of the status of the request at anypoint during RTS processing.

At 178, RTS associates service request types as appropriate beforeprocessing them through the RTS environment. This includes but is notlimited to: sequencing "in" and "out" service requests, associatingcorrected service requests with the original request or processingsupplemental changes of a service request in process. At 180, adetermination is made as to where the request needs to be processed andin what sequence. Processing includes the Memory Administration System(MAS) that must receive an activation message based on the requestedproducts and services. A determination is also made as to whether or nota dispatch or test is required.

If a dispatch or a test is required at message is created and sent tothe Work and Force system at 182. This message includes all necessaryinformation to complete the work request including assignment data. Ifother work in the field or in the central office is required, this iscompleted and reported back to the appropriate center or system asindicated at 184.

At 180, RTS also determines if a Memory Administration System (MAS) isinvolved in the request and, if so, determines if it has the requiredinformation to prepare a translation packet to send to the MAS. Thetranslation packet (TP) is then created and sent to the MAS. The TP isreceived and validated in the Memory Administration System and the MASdetermines what needs to be done to complete the request. The MAScreates a machine readable message (RC message) specific to the switchto receive the message. The Recent Change (RC) message is created tomatch the vendor's specific switch type and generic at 186. If the RCmessage is accepted by the switch, the switch updates the informationassociated with the switch equipment and telephone number on the RCmessage at 188.

When the Work and Force system completes a job, a completionconfirmation is dispatched to RTS from the Work and Force system andfrom the Memory Administration System and RTS then updates the inventoryfacilities, telephone numbers and LU addresses at 190 to reflect thecompleted service request. The Service Request Order Trail is updatedwhen each task associated with a service request is completed. When alltasks associated with a service request have been completed in the RTSprocessing environment, completion information is formatted fortransmission to the service order processor at 192.

After completion of the service request the completion information issent to the SOP at 194. This information may include the completion timeand date, any changes to the service order and any billing informationthat needs added time and material charges. At 196 the SOP receives thecompletion information and prepares the completed service order fordistribution and determines the distribution list. The completed serviceorder is then distributed to all systems requiring the information.

As a result of the new system and method it is possible to reduce thetime between request and activation of service from up to two days to amatter of minutes. In many instances it is possible to activate theservice prior to ending the service request call. As a result of the newsystem and method it is possible to reduce the operating cost ofprovisioning business functions such as Install Inside and InstallOutside, increase the reliability of providing on time, error-freeservice by reducing the number of orders that require manual assistancethereby increasing the flexibility of the provisioning process tosupport the activation of a new product or service quickly andinexpensively, enhance customer services and customer retention byproviding faster access to all products and services, and provide astrong long-term information infrastructure that meets the needs of theexisting products and provides a foundation that can handle therequirements of new products.

In addition, the new system and method support SSNS negotiation byproviding information that is currently provided by PREMIS. RTS providestelephone numbers for selection, address verification and suggestions,and RTS eligibility information. RTS stores and maintains all addressinformation including common and living unit address information forboth business and residential addresses. All telephone numbers areselected from RTS. However, the administration (classification andmaintenance of status) of telephone numbers are split. RTS administersall residential telephone numbers and COSMOS continues to administerbusiness telephone numbers. RTS does not provision facilities butinstead maintains the status of a fixed assembly from the central officeto the living unit. As service requests are processed by RTS, thefacilities remain fixed and only the customer information and servicesare updated. RTS creates activation messages for other MARCH and othermemory administration systems, such as VMAP (Voice Mail AdjunctProcessor) and MSP (Multi-Services Platform), required to produce recentchange messages which update switch memory. In addition, RTS does notmaintain the facilities that it inventories and assigns.

While the RTS system reduces the time between request and activation ofservice from up to two days to a matter of minutes, and may alsoactivate the service prior to ending the service request call therebyreducing the operating cost of provisioning business functions, RTS doesnot address other matters that would further reduce operating costs. Forexample, RTS does not relate to effectuating improvements formaintaining facilities.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart of a reactive maintenance process in accordancewith the combined provisioning and maintenance system of the presentinvention. In FIG. 21, caseworkers support the processing of troublereports and work requests received from either internal or externalsources for Plain Old Telephone Services (POTS) and non-designed specialservices. Functions associated with the process include repairanswering, testing, screening, analysis, dispatch when necessary, fieldtechnician support, and trouble completion.

Step P1--Gather Trouble Information

The Caseworker answers the repair call and obtains the affectedtelephone or circuit number at P1a. After entering the number on aTrouble Entry screen at P1b, the Caseworker automatically receivesrelated customer profile information, such as billing, service order,circuit test history, and trouble history at P1c-P1f.

The Caseworker obtains a description of the customer trouble and entersthe trouble type on the Trouble Report screen. A Trouble Report Profileis built, which includes the trouble the Caseworker has entered,automatically generated test results, related trouble reports and allinformation gathered in step P1. The Caseworker then determines whetheradditional information is needed, or whether the report can be closedout, or whether the report should be forwarded to another work group,and if so, sends the report to a different center at P1g.

Advantageously, the Caseworker has access via the Service AnalysisSystem (i.e., Analysis Function) to related proactive and/or reactivetroubles for additional consideration when determining whether thereactively reported trouble requires dispatch or whether it can becorrected by the Caseworker. For example, if the Caseworker determinesthat the entire cable has become defective as is currently beingrepaired as indicated by the Service Analysis System, the Caseworker canimmediately inform the customer that the trouble is being worked on. Asa result, no additional testing or dispatch of technicians is necessary.

Similarly, the reactive maintenance system advantageously provides theCaseworker with baseline information regarding the normal operatingconditions of the customer communication line. Thus, if a reactiveproblem is reported, and the Caseworker performs MLT testing describedabove, the Caseworker will be able to compare the MLT test results withthe baseline information to more appropriately confirm whether thecommunication line does indeed have a trouble condition. Without thisinformation, MLT results are many times meaningless in view of thevariability of measurements between communication lines and thevariability of acceptable test values for communication lines. Forexample, when a communication line has a baseline loop length of 100feet, and MLT returns a loop length of 200 feet, a trouble has beendetected. however, without this baseline information, the Caseworkerwould be unable to determine that the communication line has a trouble.The following additional scenarios where baseline information isnecessary for a proper trouble determination are described in the tablebelow:

1) POTS Customer with telephone and no other equipment

    ______________________________________    DC Signature         AC Signature    KOHMS      VOLTS         KOHMS    ______________________________________    >1000            T-R         3 to 40                                        T-R    >1000      0     T-G         >80    T-G    >1000      0     R-G         >80    R-G    BALANCE         LOOP LENGTH = >100 FT.    CAP. >98%    LONG. >63 DB    ______________________________________

A failure would be indicated if:

The DC resistance fell below 1000K OHMS in any position (a baselinevalue between 1000K and 3500K indicates that a short or ground isdeveloping but is not bad enough to cause trouble)

The DC voltage is less than zero in conjunction with a decreasingresistance in the sane position, T-G or R-G. This indicates that a crossis developing.

The AC resistance T-R has increased by 1K or more in conjunction with areduction in CAP. balance of 1% or more and/or a reduction inlongitudinal balance of 2 DB or more. Indicative of a series resistanceforming at a binding post or other splice or connection point. Any ACresistance change without a balance degradation is probably due to thecustomer changing the station equipment arrangement (e.g., removing oradding telephone sets).

Capacitive balance reduction of >2% and/or longitudinal balancereduction of >2 DB without any other changes in baseline data elements.This would be indicative of an open bridged tap or a resistive cross toa non working pair in the same cable.

Loop length increases by more than 300 Ft. without any other changes inthe baseline data. This can be caused by a section of water filled PICcable without pair insulation problems that would cause leakage changes,or crosses.

2) Ground Start PBX Customer

    ______________________________________    DC Signature    KOHMS            VOLTS    ______________________________________    RTR                      T-R    RTG              -VTG    T-G    RRG              -VRG    R-G    ______________________________________

A Failure would be indicated if:

RTR decreased by more than 2K OHMS, indicative of a short developing inthe loop, paralleling the RTR component of the PBX signature, making itappear smaller.

RTR, RTG, or RRG increased by more than 2K OHMS indicative of a seriesresistance developing at a binding post or splice point due to corrosionand the corresponding increase in contact resistance.

The voltage-VTG or -VRG increased by more than 5 VOLTS (e.g., changedfrom -48 V to -43 V) which is indicative of a ground developing on theside with the change, Tip or Ring or both. The ground resistive faultwould also cause the value of RTG or RRG to be less than the baselinevalue.

Step P2--Determine Trouble Flow

Using the information received from the data stores, the Caseworkercontinues to talk with the customer to determine the scope of theproblem. By using on line job aids, the Caseworker provides recommendedalternatives, such as plugging the telephone into another jack. In theevent the problem is service specific, and the Caseworker cannot handlethe problem, the Caseworker transfers the customer to the ServiceSpecific Center at P2a. If a problem still requires further action, theCaseworker informs the customer and establishes a commitment/arrivaltime. Time and material charges are quoted to the customer, using an online job aid. There are some cases, however, where further action is notrequired and the Caseworker has the ability to solve the problem withthe customer still on the line, thereby closing the trouble at P2b.

The Caseworker enters the trouble type and required information on theTrouble Report Profile, reviews the trouble report for accuracy andcompleteness, and corrects any discrepancies. The Caseworker reviews theTrouble Report Profile, together with related work requests input atP2c, and a decision is made as to whether the report needs to bedispatched or can be closed out with the customer without a dispatch.

Step P3--Dispatch

The customer reported Trouble Report, along with any related ProactiveTrouble Reports, is automatically forwarded to Dispatch where a WorkRequest is automatically created. Dispatch automatically routes the WorkRequest to the proper center at P3a, using prebuilt trouble routingcriteria input at P3b. Dispatch also automatically maps the Work Requestto the correct maintenance area, estimates the price (time) of thetrouble, determines the job type (residence, business etc.),recalculates the trouble priority, and assigns the Work Request status(pending dispatch, pending load, etc.) Information used by Dispatch toperform these tasks is found in standard pre-established Dispatchtables.

The Maintenance Administrator manually, or the system automaticallygroups any related open Work Requests (e.g., proactive trouble) based onpre-established grouping rules and allocation areas. Work Requests maybe stapled or linked with reactive troubles. When stapled, thetechnician is generally required to also perform such work requestswhile repairing the reactive trouble. If the work request is linked tothe reactive trouble, then the technician is not required to perform therequest unless it is convenient for the technician to do so. Using thepending work requests and pre-established information about eachemployee (work schedule, job type, work areas, job skills), the dispatchprocess automatically builds a trial work load, either bulk or dynamic,for each technician. Each load is automatically reviewed and altered ifnecessary.

Advantageously, the reactive maintenance system is able to collate andgroup related reactive and proactive troubles, as well as determinewhether technicians are currently working on recently reported reactivetroubles. Accordingly, technicians in the field that have beendispatched may be informed of additional troubles requiring resolutionin the same vicinity, thereby increasing efficiency and timeliness ofrepairs.

Step P4--Support Field Technician

Information contained in other Operating Support Systems, Work Requests,Test Tools, Job Aids, and open Work Request relationships are necessaryin assisting the Caseworker and the Field Technician with the properhandling and disposition of a network trouble. Disposition cause codesare entered by the Field Technician or Caseworker at P4a. Automaticaccess to all operating systems necessary to handle a network troublecustomer complaint is provided to the Caseworker and the FieldTechnician at P4b.

The Field Technician is responsible for isolating and correcting theproblem related to the Work Requests. Once the problem has been resolvedthe Field Technician retests the circuit to verify that the line isworking properly at P4b. If the test fails, the Field Technician beginsthe isolation and correction process again until the line is workingcorrectly.

If the trouble is a customer reported trouble, the Field Techniciannotifies the customer that the problem has been resolved and the troubleis closed out. Isolate Trouble/Correct Problem are manual processesperformed by the field technicians at the trouble site.

Step P5--Close Trouble

The Field Technician determines any related trouble reports stored inDispatch. The Field Technician or the Caseworker closes out the TroubleReport by entering the trouble found, work done and cause descriptionsat P5a. The Disposition and Cause Codes are automatically generatedbased on the trouble found and cause descriptions entered by theTechnician/Caseworker at P5b. The system clock automatically records thedate and time of the trouble clearance. If applicable, Time and Materialcharges are generated automatically based on the "hours spent" and"materials used" entries made by the Field Technician at P5c. This closeprocess is continued until all related trouble reports are closed aswell.

Information recorded by the Caseworker or the Field Technician isautomatically sent to other systems as needed. Time and Materialscharges are sent to the Billing Function. Field Technician andCaseworker time and associated codes are forwarded to Payroll. ClosedTrouble Report information including Disposition and Cause Codes, mayalso be forwarded to the Service Analysis System and other relatedoperating systems.

FIG. 22 discloses an arrangement for remote activation of facilities. InFIG. 22, a field technician is not required to perform hardware changes(e.g., cable throw, rewire, etc.) in conjunction with coordinatedefforts by a frame attendant responsible for updating the necessarydatabases at the central office. Rather, prior to the work by the fieldtechnician, the database manager of the appropriate system will identifythe facilities that are to be modified and/or the office equipment (OE)to be replaced for the application (e.g., cable throw, rewire,undeveloped transfer, etc.) on the basis of telephone number, oldequipment, and new equipment, respectively. After completing allhardware installation and testing, the field technician independentlyaccesses the system in order to activate the new facility.

FIG. 22 shows an arrangement by which the field technician is able toaccess the telephone network in order to activate new facilities using aremote controller 470. The remote controller 470 may be, for example, adial set, although the dial set may be replaced with a lap-top computerfor more advanced applications as discussed below. The field technicianwill usually perform a continuity test on the new circuit before dialinginto the network. After the field technician has successfully completedthe continuity test, the field technician will dial into a voiceresponse unit (VRU) 472, using either a spare dial tone or a customer'sdial tone. The VRU 472 is preferably implemented as a digital voicesynthesizer capable of handling up to twenty-four (24) callssimultaneously, although different voice response units may be used toaccept inputs from the field technician via the remote controller 470.The voice response unit 472 is adapted to communicate with a changeprocessor 474 via a Local Area Network (LAN) Datakit 476. The Datakit476 is known in the art as a communication system manufactured by AT&T,used to access the computer control and database systems and the publicswitched telephone network. The change processor (CP) 474 is preferablyan AT&T product known as the "4000", which includes a 3B-15 computermade by AT&T. The change processor 474 receives downloaded informationfrom databases and control systems that supply OE information inresponse to a prior request from a database manager. The CP 474 storesthe downloaded information in its own internal databases (not shown).The downloaded information stored in the change processor 474 identifiesfacilities that are to be modified and/or the OE to be replaced on thebasis of telephone number, old equipment, and new equipment.

The VRU 472 communicates with the field technician by executing adigital speech driver program (DSDRV) that generates voice commands.Alternatively, the DSDRV is executed in the CP 474, which outputs theappropriate voice commands to the VRU 472 via the Datakit 476. Uponentering the appropriate access identification, the field technician isable to communicate with the change processor (CP) 474, which promptsthe field technician as to the type of service being performed (e.g.,cable throw, rewire, undeveloped transfer, etc.). After the fieldtechnician identifies the service using the remote controller 470, thechange processor 474 prompts the field technician via the VRU 472 toidentify the facilities being serviced, preferably in the form of aten-digit telephone number, which may be used in some instances toidentify a group of subscribers. The change processor 474 processes theten-digit number supplied by the field technician, and compares thesupplied ten-digit number with its internal databases to determine ifthe supplied ten-digit number corresponds to previously downloaded datawith respect to facilities to be modified. If the change processor 474does not match the supplied ten-digit number with a downloaded number,the change processor 474 supplies an appropriate message to the remotecontroller 470 via the VRU 472, for example, "telephone number not onfile", and terminates (disconnects) the call. If, however, the changeprocessor 474 matches the supplied ten-digit number with a telephonenumber stored in the internal databases, the change processor 474generates the appropriate recent change signals for the officeequipment/switch corresponding to the ten-digit number, depending on theswitch type (e.g., DMS-100, 5ESS, etc.), and outputs the recent changesignals to an SCCS Host 478. The SCCS Host 478 supplies the recentchange signals to the central office 440 for activating the newequipment. The SCCS Host 478 also provides the recent changes signals toother appropriate databases in order to register the change in OE.

SCCS Host 478 preferrably provides remote access to the switch in orderto perform modifications to the central office switch 446. As known inthe art, the SCCS Host 478 comprises computers such as a 3EB-15, 3B-20,etc., which obtain information from a switch maintenance section of thecentral office mainframe. The CO mainframe (not shown) receivesinformation about the switch 446 via leads from the switch components.Thus, the SCCS Host 478 monitors the central office 440 based on theinformation supplied from the central office mainframe, and allowsinteractivity with the central office 440 either automatically orthrough the requirements of a technician. In addition, the SCCS Host 478is able to look for alarms, look for troubles, and to print out theresults at a switching control center for intervention by technicians,or to a display which may in turn activate an alarm at the center.

As discussed above, the CP 474 receives downloaded information from theappropriate database in order to generate recent change signals for aswitch corresponding to a given telephone number supplied by the fieldtechnician. Depending on the application, the CP 474 receives thedownloaded information from different databases via the Datakit 476. Forexample, the CP 474 may receive downloaded information from a FacilityAssignment Control System (FACS) that automatically assigns loopfacilities and office equipment to a subscriber address to provide thetelephone service. FACS attempts to optimize the use of loop facilitiesand office equipment including jumper cables and minimize the amount ofunused inventory and cost to the telephone service provisioning company.

As shown in FIG. 22, the CP 474 is able to communicate via the Datakitwith a computer system for main frame operation (COSMOS) 480; a loopfacility assignment and control system (LFACS) 482; a loop maintenanceoperation system (LMOS) 484; and/or a system to accept and routeverification and input of customer enhancements (SERVICE) 486. SERVICE486 stores enhanced services such as call waiting, call forwarding,three-way calling, caller ID™, and other IQ™ services. Other systems maybe accessed by the Datakit as needed.

As known in the art, COSMOS 480 stores all the assigned equipment; tomake changes, the hardware facilities changes need to be made at thesame time as changes in the COSMOS database to ensure that there are noinconsistencies between the COSMOS database and the equipment in use.

The database manager of COSMOS 480 can identify the facilities that areto be modified and/or the OE to be replaced on the basis of telephonenumber, old equipment and new equipment, respectively. The request maycome from LFACS 482, or SERVICE 486. The downloading of the informationto the change processor 474 therefore eliminates any need tosimultaneously update the COSMOS 480 system at the same time that newfacilities are activated. Rather, a field technician can access thecontrol processor 474 via the Datakit and the VRU 472 to cause the CP474 to generate the recent change signals whenever appropriate for thefield technician. The SCCS Host 478 then dispatches the recent changesignals to the switch 446 and any necessary databases, such as COSMOS480, LFACS 482, LMOS 484, etc.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the method of updating databases by thefield technician. A field service technician accesses the control systemand transmits instructions via a voice response unit in order to reachaccess to a Datakit that serves as a communication path for softwarecontrol data. The Datakit is under the control of a computer whichincludes, for example, a program for coprer to fiber (CTF) exchange.Recent Change messages, containing new digital office equipmentidentification, are created and transmitted over a Recent Change Channelto the appropriate End Office. If the change cannot be done withoutproblem, the control system will automatically default back to analogoffice equipment.

As shown in FIG. 23, the technician located at the distributionterminal, the CEV or the network interface device, can initiate thechange over by placing a telephone call over the network to the voiceresponse unit (VRU) (step T0). The customer's dial tone source can beused so that there is no need to bridge to a separate source. The VRUwill answer the call (step T2) and prompt for the security code of thetechnician (step T4). After verification of the DTMF ID input (step T6),the VRU prompts the technician to enter the 10 digit telephone numberthat is to be converted step T8). If the ID input is not valid, thecaller is disconnected (step T9). Protocol will be provided forverification of the telephone number.

The control system in communications with the technician has thecapability of checking the phone number to be converted against a recordof numbers previously entered (step T10). A match would be recognized asa failure of a previous attempt to convert, thus triggeringinvestigation at the switch (step T12). If no match occurs, a systemdatabase is accessed to determine whether the telephone number has beenentered as being on line (step T14). If the telephone number is not online, a message is sent back to the technician and the loop isterminated (step T16). If the telephone number is listed in thedatabase, the program initiates the recent change procedure while thetechnician is on line (step T18). The technician is given the option ofbeing called back after the change is completed (step T20).

After the technician terminates the call, the program will then look upthe old OE and corresponding new OE for the telephone number in thedatabase (step T22). A recent change message is then generated andtransmitted through the Datakit network to the switch (step T24). Theswitch is thus instructed to allocate digital equipment for thetelephone number (step T26).

If the technician had elected a call back, the switch will place a callto the telephone number over a digital loop (step T28). Ringing of thecall indicates successful transfer. In this manner the system moves allof the translations from the copper to the digital loop and tests thetransfers.

The following examples illustrate potential applications of the remotecontroller 470 by the field technician.

This system is particularly useful for system upgrades, for examplereplacing twisted pair with optical fiber for upgrading networks toprovide video broadband services using to-the-curb optical fiber serviceor hybrid-fiber coax. After installing the optical fiber, a fieldtechnician may access the CP 474 in order to activate the cable throw.The change processor 474 sends the recent change signal preferably onthe maintenance channel, or possibly on the recent change channel, tothe appropriate SCCS Host 478 as identified in the internal database ofthe CP 474.

The field technician may also use the remote controller 470 wheninstalling multiple circuits (for example, 100, 200, 500) in a newcommunity. In such a scenario, an equipment change is marked in COSMOSas "undeveloped transfer". The database manager goes into COSMOS andextracts the information for the corresponding switch 446 fordownloading into the CP 474. In another application, a field techniciancan activate service coincidentally with moving a drop wire in the caseof a rewire.

This system may also be applied to eliminate the need for RCMAC. Forexample, a field technician can perform tests on the facility and thencall the VRU 472 in order to activate the subscriber without waiting forthe RCMAC. In addition, the necessity for manual access to COSMOS/SWITCHis also removed, since the database manager can download any number ofcircuits at one time to the CP 474, thereby eliminating the need for aframe attendant.

In a variation of the above system used by technicians to completerepairs, etc., subscribers may be able to directly access the VRU 472 inorder to modify services. For example, if a customer decides to purchasethree-way calling service, or to try three-way calling service during atrial period, the change processor 474 can receive downloadedinformation from SERVICE 486 and generate recent change signals inresponse to customer inputs identifying a desired service.

In addition, the present embodiment may be modified such that the remotecontroller 470 includes a lap-top computer to enable the technician toaccess the Datakit 476 directly. In such a case, the field techniciancould act as the database manager and directly access the appropriatedatabases, such as COSMOS 480, LFACS 482, LMOS 484 and/or SERVICE 486,to download the appropriate information to the CP 474. Additionaldetails of this system that permits field technicians access to thetelephone network in order to activate new facilities using a remotecontroller is discussed in U.S. Ser. No. 08/383,740, filed on Feb. 6,1995 to Kevin Maurer et al., incorporated herein by reference (attorneydocket 680-077).

This system used by a field technician to either verify or activatecustomer enhancements, or to make changes such as cable throw, rewire,or undeveloped transfer in the local loop, may also be modified toenable customer access so that customers can call up and activate ordeactivate the services over the phone. In such instances, a customerwould likely use a soft dial tone in order to activate service to obtaina hard dial tone. A soft dial tone is a dial tone which permits accessto only a limited sub-set of network services available to normalsubscribers, to network lines which are "disconnected". When subscribersare "disconnected" they are only logically disconnected, that is, theyare placed in an inactive status without physically disconnecting themfrom the network. The subscribers in a disconnected (inactive) statusare provided with soft dial tone whereby they may access only a limitednumber of network services such as 911 emergency dialing and the placingof calls to the telephone company business office. Provision of theselimited services is possible because of office equipment number ratherthan the telephone number (which is not valid for a disconnected user)of the telephone line at the user's location is used to identify theline requesting services.

The use of soft dial tone may be implemented by incorporating thearrangement of FIG. 22 into a public switched telephone system havingAIN capabilities. In an AIN type system certain calls receivespecialized AIN type processing under control of data files stored in anSCP database within an ISCP. In such a network, the SSP type localoffices of the public telephone network detect a call processing eventidentified as an AIN "trigger". For ordinary telephone service calls,there would be no event to trigger AIN processing; in such caees thelocal and toll office switches would function normally to process thecalls as discussed above, without referring to the SCP database forinstructions. An SSP type switching office which detects a trigger,however, will suspend call processing, compile a TCAP formatted calldata message and forward that message via cc)mmon channel interofficesignalling (CCIS) link and STP(s) to the ISCP which includes the SCPdatabase. This TCAP query message contains a substantial amount ofinformation, including, for example, data identifying the off-hook line,the number dialed and the current time. Depending on the particular AINservice, the ISCP uses a piece of data from the query message toidentify a subscriber and access the subscriber's files. From theaccessed data, the ISCP determines what action to take next. If needed,the ISCP can instruct the central office to obtain and forwardadditional information, e.g., by playing an announcement to receive andcollecting dialed digits or to receive voice input. Once sufficientinformation about the call has reached the ISCP, the ISCP accesses itsstored data tables to translate the received message data into a callcontrol message. The call control message may include a substantialvariety of information including, for example, a destination number andtrunk group selection information. The ISCP returns the call controlmessage to the SSP which initiated the query via CCIS link and theSTP(s). The SSP then uses the call control message to complete theparticular call through the network. Thus, the use of a soft dial tonemay be adapted to generate an AIN trigger whereby the ISCP, in responseto a subscription request from the residential user, interacts with theCP 474 so that the appropriate recent change signals are generated toactivate the subscriber service to a hard dial tone. A more detaileddescription of soft dial tones is disclosed in U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 08/264,166, filed Jun. 22, 1994, the disclosure of which isincorporated in its entirety by reference. As would be appreciated inthe art, the remote controller 470 may access the Datakit by usingeither a dial tone, or by a cellular phone call.

In a variation of the above embodiment, the use of a lap-top as theremote controller 470 would enable a technician to use the remotecontroller 470 as an intelligent peripheral (IP) in an AIN network inorder to communicate with an ISCP. In such a case, the remote controller470 having IP capabilities could bypass the maintenance channel inputsand directly supply inputs such as translation tables into the switch446 using the common channel signaling network. A more detaileddescription of AIN networks and intelligent peripherals may be found inU.S. Pat. No. 5,247,571, and U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/188,871, filed Jan. 21, 1994, (ATTY NO. 680-073), the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated in their entirety by reference.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram of a proactive maintenance process. In FIG.24, a central corporate database 344 is provided that stores andmaintains the basic customer network facility related data, such ascustomer name, service status, telephone number status, address,facilities, etc. Significantly, many of the previously provideddatabases that used to also maintain this information have beeneliminated. This is a result of eliminating the previous systems LMOS/FE312, LMOS/Host 116 and PREDICTOR 324, and providing a new componentService Analysis System 346 that performs enhanced testing andmonitoring features, as will be discussed below in greater detail. Inaddition, the Network Monitoring and Analysis (NMA) system 348 is nowutilized by Service Analysis System 346 for obtaining alarm status dataregarding the facility network. FIG. 25 is a block diagram of aproactive maintenance surveillance and analysis process that haseliminated the other computer system components in the provisioning orfacility assignment architecture for additional clarity.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram of a proactive service management process. InFIG. 26, Caseworker 308 is used for coordinating trouble reportsreceived from MLT 314 (via standard interface Gateway 348) or ServiceAnalysis system 346 via the reactive or proactive architectures.Depending on the trouble type, class of service and test results, theinformation collected by Caseworker 308 may lead to differentresolutions of the trouble as discussed previously. In accordance withthis management architecture, Caseworker 308 advantageously is able toaccess the different systems and related databases in the facilityassignment system, such as SOP 106, SOAC 110, LFACS 112 and RTS 136.Caseworker 308 also has access to Billing Order Support System (BOSS)354 used by Residence and Business Service Centers to assist servicerepresentatives with billing inquiries and services. BOSS provides, forexample: 1) current monthly bill; 2) previous bill; 3) payments; 4)audit trail of account history (i.e., payment arrangements, discussionsregarding service, record of contacts).

Caseworker 308 also receives information regarding network status fromAdvanced Intelligent Network (AIN) Node 350, indicating the status ofthe AIN facilities in the network that may assist Caseworker 308 inresolving a trouble report. Access between Caseworker 308 and WFA/DO 120and Force Access System (FAS) 352 is also provided. FAS allows mobilefield or central office based craft technicians to remotely access theappropriate operations systems to perform work functions.

As illustrated in FIG. 26, the present invention advantageously combinesthe RTS provisioning features with the maintenance features (proactiveand/or reactive maintenance systems). This combination of systems andprocesses results in an integrated network provisioning and maintenancesystem, providing the exceptional benefits described above. Inaccordance with FIG. 26, the system architecture permits efficient andtimely provisioning or assignment of network facilities in response tocustomer requests, and also provides the ability to effectively andefficiently maintain such network facilities to minimize failures, lossof service, customer dissatisfaction, and the like.

FIG. 27 is a block diagram of the service analysis architecture andfunctions in the proactive maintenance process. In FIG. 27, ServiceAnalysis system 346 is logically divided in correlation process 3583,and report generating system support 360 in process layer 362. ServiceAnalysis system 346 provides trouble status and resolution informationto various report systems 356, including: Integrated Results InformationSystem management system (INTEGRIS) that collects data, summarizes, andanalyzes the data for corporate evaluation; Integrated Administration(INIMAD) that monitors service center performance compared to corporateobjectives; and Bell Atlantic Automated Records System (BAARS) thatmechanizes the process for outside plant engineering.

The primary functions of the correlation process 358, described indetail below, are the surveillance receipt, trouble grouping, troubleisolation, and trouble prioritization. Each of these functions arediscussed below:

SURVEILLANCE AND TESTING

SURVEILLANCE PROCESS DESCRIPTION

Receive results of network surveillance processes

Filter erroneous and redundant surveillance results

Perform tests on troubled lines for fault verification and comprehensiveelectrical signature

SURVEILLANCE AND TEST PROCESSES

ALIT (Automatic Line Insulation Test)

Performs nightly tests on the maximum number of lines possible duringthe available time period, which are associated with each switch

NMA (Network Monitoring and Analysis)

Continually monitors the status of Digital Loop Carriers (DLC)

PCT (Per Call Test)

Switch generated test of terminating line of each phone call

MLT (Mechanized Loop Test)/Teradyne 4TEL

Performs complete series of tests for comprehensive electricalsignature.

CORRELATION--TROUBLE GROUPING

TROUBLE GROUPING PROCESS DESCRIPTION

Use technology to identify relationships among various network troubleinstances.

Relate proactive and reactive faults together on an asynchronous basisto optimize technician dispatch.

GROUPED TROUBLE TYPES

Reactive troubles (customer calls)

New surveillance indications (ALIT,PCOF,NMA)

Historical surveillance indications

PRIMARY GROUPING CRITERIA

Facilities data relationships (including terminals, cables/pairs, etc.)

Trouble type and severity relationships

CORRELATION--TROUBLE ISOLATION

TROUBLE ISOLATION PROCESS DESCRIPTION

Use technology to determine the most optimum location for techniciandispatch.

Process takes into account the most likely individual trouble locationsand most cost-effective dispatch location.

DATA INPUTS FOR ISOLATION PROCESS

Common facilities among multiple troubles

Location and cause of recently closed trouble tickets

Defective pair information

Electrical test results

Historical surveillance information

Baseline test information for comparison with fault signature

CORRELATION--TROUBLE PRIORITIZATION

TROUBLE PRIORITIZATION PROCESS DESCRIPTION

Use AI Technology to determine the relative importance of varioustrouble groups.

DATA INPUTS FOR PRIORITIZATION PROCESS

Relative cost-effectiveness of dispatch based on potential number oftroubles to be repaired

Severity of individual trouble and trouble group

Priority of customers affected by network fault

Number of spare pairs in defective cable.

FIGS. 28A and 28B are functional block diagrams of the service analysisarchitecture and functions in the proactive maintenance process. Asdiscussed in connection with FIGS. 16-17, the prior art correlation ofswitch surveillance data is performed by the PREDICTOR system 344.PREDICTOR's primary objective is to identify common-cause cabletroubles. It groups together all trouble indications for a specificcable identity which occur within a user-defined number of pairs for asingle dispatch. While dispatching on common-cause troubles is a usefulobjective, we have discovered that it falls short of the ultimate goalof dispatch optimization as discussed previously.

Service Analysis system more effectively optimizes technician dispatchesfor three primary reasons. First, the system's objective is to grouptroubles by geographic area rather than cable pair range. Groupingtroubles in this way increases the number of pairs that can be clearedper dispatch. While the troubles may or may not be related by cause, thereduction in "windshield" time will reduce the average repair time pertrouble. Second, Service Analysis uses historical switch surveillanceinformation in order to provide the technicians with a complete pictureof the maintenance status of the geographic area he or she will beworking in. In the current environment, only a single evening'ssurveillance information is used to determine what troubles need to berepaired. The third primary benefit of Service Analysis is the groupingof proactive and reactive troubles. Currently, proactive troubles andreactive troubles are worked without regard to one another. This is notsensible because the two troubles may very well be in the samegeographic area or may even be related by cause.

The implementation of Service Analysis will not significantly affecttrouble report rates without complementary changes in the trouble repairprocedures. Service Analysis does not simply replace an aging system.Rather, the Service Analysis design changes the way that techniciansperform their jobs by implementing processes heretofore not performed,and unable to have been performed. Instead of simply responding tocustomer-affecting troubles (both proactive and reactive), ServiceAnalysis will make the technicians aware of the status of theenvironment where they will be working (with data such as new troubleindications, recent repair work, and defective pairs). With thisinformation, they will have the ability to increase their productivity.The more a technician knows about the plant, the more efficient he willbe.

The following description is a decomposition of the correlation process.The text follows the sequence of events illustrated in the process flowdisplayed in FIGS. 28A and 28B.

Step T1--ALIT Interface Process

The first step in the Service Analysis (SA) process is the completionand collection of data from the Automatic Line Insulation Test (ALIT).The ALIT feature within a Central Office (CO) switch tests for any lineinsulation failures which show up as leakage resistances and/or dcvoltages. ALIT is scheduled to automatically start and stop at specifictimes and for specific days. Specified days are determined by CO switchtype. The ALIT schedule is dependent upon the needs of each individualwork center and can be changed through communications with the localNetwork Operations Center (NOC) for a specific CO. When a failure isdetected, an output message is sent. Depending upon the switch vendor(AT&T, SIEMENS, Northern Telecom, etc.) the ALIT test proceedssequentially through all the Office Equipment (OE) or telephone number(TN) lines. The testing cycle will continue until either all possiblelines have been tested or the scheduled time is complete. If the testingdid not complete through the entire office then ALIT will start the nextnight where it left off.

The testing styles by switch type include:

1AESS--by TN or by OE (depend on local ALIT setup)

5ESS--by OE

DMS100--by OE

SIEMENS--by OE

The SA--ALIT interface process will receive the failure type and levelof severity messages from ALIT for each individual switch. In additionto ALIT testing, this interface also receives switch alarms or per calltest failures. Since SA must interpret and deal with the output of allswitch types listed above, the interface process will standardize thedifferent "failure messages" or trouble indications it receives fromeach switch type. FIGS. 29-30 are tables that describes the ALITindications, and switch alarm indications sent to the service analysissystem standardized per switch type, respectively.

The ALIT interface process writes information about each ALIT failurefor the particular ALIT test cycle to the corporate database. Theinterface process checks the monitoring table in the data base for eachline failure it receives. Lines are put on the monitor table byindividual work groups when they want to be notified as soon as anyactivity (switch alarm or ALIT failure) happens on that line. If a lineappears on the monitoring table, the interface process immediately sendsa message to the work group queue indicated on the monitoring table andthe ALIT information for this line is not written to the database.

Step T2--Pre-MLT--Overview

The Service Analysis process runs under the ART/IM standard artificialintelligence system, a product of Inference Corporation. It is not likea normal process which is thought of as running in a sequential manner.SA is driven by a set of rules. When there is enough information toprocess a given rule, the rule is immediately fired and resultsevaluated.

Pre-MLT--Data Contracts

Once ALIT is completed for a given wire center (all ALIT scheduledtesting must be complete if the wire center has multiple switches), SAdetermines if the individual server has enough memory and resources tobegin another SA process. This determination must be done due to thewire center data distribution. Each server covers data for multiple,preassigned wire centers, and due to the processing requirements of SA,only a certain number of wire center SA processes (based on wire centersize) can realistically run on one server at a time. If too many SAprocesses run at once, the server could experience both databasecontention and process swapping problems and may not be able to completeany wire center processing.

Retrieve Processing Parameters

SA is triggered for each CO after the nightly ALIT run has completed.The first task to be performed by the system is a call to the databasecontract which retrieves all processing parameters. These user-definedparameters affect the system's functions. The processing parameters arelisted in FIGS. 31-32 with their level of maintenance, suggested rangeand default value. The level of maintenance indicates who has theresponsibility and permission to modify each parameter. The level ofmaintenance is either local or a Regional System Administrator.Parameters that must be set at a local level to maximize correlationbenefits are modifiable at this level. Parameters that affect theoverall process are modifiable at the regional level. The suggestedrange of values indicates those values which will not adversely affectthe performance of the correlation process.

Retrieve ALIT Results and Switch Alarms

After obtaining processing parameters, Service Analysis requests theretrieval of ALIT test results and associated data using the datacontract. This data contract retrieves all ALIT results, new switchalarms, and historical surveillance ALIT results (the number of days ofhistorical surveillance ALIT results is a user-defined parameter) forthe time period since the end of the previous cycle.

Given the TN and/or OE from the ALIT result, the data contract thenfilters the working lines. Filtering eliminates some ALIT results fromfurther SA correlation processing. The following are filtering ruleswhich are invoked prior to sending to ART/IM:

The working line appears on the ignore ALIT table, either by unique TNor within a cable pair range.

The contract will determine if any of the new ALITs had been previouslyidentified as troubles which should be ignored (based on data in theignore ALIT table). Users want ALITs to be ignored in situations wheretroubles continue to be identified on lines where the indication is notvalid or where faults have previously been identified but not yetrepaired. For example, if a construction crew is going to be working ona segment of cable, alarms that will continue to be generated in theinterim before repair is complete, should not be acted on. Therefore,the cable pairs are specially marked for this purpose.

The working line has an open trouble ticket

The contract will determine if the current ALIT failure has occurred ona line in which the customer has reported a trouble and the trouble isnot yet closed. These lines will be eliminated from further SAprocessing.

The working line has a remark indicating a trouble inside the house hasbeen found previously, but was not fixed.

The contract will determine if the current ALIT failure has occurred ona line which has a remark indicating a trouble has been located in thecustomer home and has not been fixed. A customer may know about thetrouble, but not wish to pay for it to be fixed. Technicians will recordthis information and the SA correlation process will eliminate theselines from further evaluation.

When the criteria for ignore ALIT is met in any of these scenarios aboveor other scenarios, the line is not sent for correlation analysis.

Retrieve Detailed Circuit Information

For each working line remaining in the process after initial filtering,the data contract retrieves detailed circuit information. This dataincludes:

cable and pairs for each segment of the working line

central office side and field side terminations for each segment--forexample, the F1 has an OE and an F1 terminal binding post or color code,F2 has an F1 terminal binding post or color code and F2 terminal bindingpost or color code, etc.

all terminal identities that the cables pair passes through orterminates on, including bridged taps of the pair

service address identifier

service code/LOB

circuit status

priority service

additional circuit identifiers (such as multi-line hunt group terminalnumber)

Troubles will be ignored if they are part of a known cable problem.Often, cable troubles are identified but not fixed because digging isrequired to resolve the problem, and the benefits of digging do notjustify the costs. Troubles within the pair range identified by thetechnician will be ignored by the correlation process.

Retrieve General Facility Detail

After this initial data retrieval, Service Analysis requests moregeneric data information. Given the cables involved with all unfilteredALIT indications, Service Analysis requests cable information.

the cable low pair, and

cable high pair

The correlation process must know the valid range for each cable inorder to determine its grouping priority.

Also, the defective pair information (i.e., date and failure type) andspare pair count for each cable pair range will be obtained for use inthe trouble grouping and prioritization processes, respectively.

Service Analysis also requests information about terminals. For eachterminal retrieved, the following information is correlated therewith:

in-count and low binding post

out-count and low binding post

The in-count is the list of different cable pair ranges which terminatein that terminal. The out-count is the cable pair range which leave thatterminal. With each count range, the low binding post is also retrieved.The correlation process must know all cables coming into and out of aterminal in order to group trouble indications based on terminals andbinding post proximity.

Service Analysis requests information about the service addressesinvolved with each working circuit. For each address identifierretrieved, the following information will be correlated therewith:

house number,

number suffix and prefix,

street name,

street suffix and prefix,

postal code,

structure,

elevation and unit (i.e., floor, suite, etc.)

Correlation must know the exact address in order to eliminate or ignoreworking circuits when troubles occur on more than one line terminatingat the same location.

Service Analysis functions differently than other services which calldata contracts. Upon completion of each data contract, a service is usedto insert the data into the Artificial Intelligence (AI) environment.Schemas (objects) are then built with this data. These schemas are thenused in the Service Analysis correlation process.

Pre-MLT--Correlation Processing

Loop Characteristic Filtering

Once the information is in the memory was objects) the filtering processremoves erroneous trouble indications from the correlation process.There are many lines which ALIT identifies as troubled, but which areactually functioning perfectly. These lines contain special conditionswhich alter the electrical reading of the phone line so that ALITbelieves that the line is in trouble. The system filters these linesbased on data retrieved in the data contracts and on the processingparameters, excluding them from further processing and generates areport which indicates which of these lines should be added to thePrevent ALIT (PLIT) list at the switch. The filtering includes:

Universal and Integrated Pair Gain systems indicates false trouble on aline. Service Analysis will eliminate lines which have been identifiedas being served with Universal and Integrated Pair Gain systems.

Video on Demand service indicates false trouble on a line. ServiceAnalysis will eliminate lines which have been identified as having VODservice.

Troubles at the same residence occurring on two different pairs usuallyindicate false troubles. These ALIT test indications upon furtherinvestigation, usually reveal that the cause of the trouble is withinthe customer's living unit.

Foreign Exchange Service will indicate false trouble on a line. ServiceAnalysis will eliminate lines which have been identified as InterofficeFX (foreign exchange) service.

PBX--Ground Start Equipment indicate false trouble on a line. ServiceAnalysis will eliminate lines which have been identified as havingground start equipment for PBX service.

Coin Lines indicate a false trouble on a line. Service Analysis willeliminate coin lines.

Build Circuit Picture and Grouping

Once it is known which pairs have valid troubles, the system generates a"picture" in memory of how the lines are related. This picture can belikened to a tree structure where pairs might share large limbs but thenbreak off into difference branches. This is a complex process because ofthe many "multiplicity" terminals in the outside plant. In order toprovide contingencies for increased demand on the outside plant, pairsare often spliced at many locations and may appear in multipleterminals. The purpose of this is to provide a large amount offlexibility for provisioning. Unfortunately, however, troubles can occurat locations that are not near the serving address but still seriouslyaffect the customer's phone service. These "extraneous" terminals, whichare known as multiplicity terminals, increase the complexity of thetrouble grouping problem

While this network topology is accurate, it is neither as detailed noras complete as the cable plats that technicians carry with them whenfixing troubles. It does, however, highlight the relationships of thevarious troubled lines. With this information, geographically relatedgroups of troubles are identified. These geographically related groupsare grouped based on common F1 terminal. Each group is then individuallyassessed. Troubles within the F1 terminals group are grouped based onthe following rules:

Terminal Grouping

Using the % of Similar Terminals parameter, troubles are grouped whoseloop facilities pass through or terminate in a % of the same terminals.

Cable and Pair Grouping

Using the Pair Proximity parameter, troubles are grouped whose loopfacilities share the same cable and are within a specific range ofpairs. SA also indicates whether the cable is an F1, F2, . . . Fn cable.For example, in FIG. 33, there is a cable pair group--the F1 troubledpairs are within a 50 pair range. Defective pairs will be used toenhance the cable pair proximity grouping.

Terminal Binding Post Grouping

Using the Binding Post Proximity parameter, group all troubled pairs inthe same terminal into binding post proximity groupings within eachterminal. Look for binding post numbers that are physically closetogether. In FIG. 33, the F1 troubled pairs are related within a 50binding post range on the in side but are not closely related on the outbinding post. This grouping is performed in addition to the cable andpair grouping because two distinct logical cable names can physicallyappear in the same cable sheath (see FIG. 34). Binding post is the onlyway to determine if these pairs may actually be physically closetogether.

Address Grouping

Using the Address Proximity parameter, group all troubles servingaddresses within a specific street number range.

Prioritize Groups

Once the troubles are assigned to groups (of size 1 to many), the groupsare prioritized. This prioritization process depends on two primaryfactors, the number of troubles in the group and severity of theindividual troubles comprising the group. Two user-defined parametersare involved in this decision: Minimum Trouble Size Group and MinimumTotal priority of a Group. Other factors are taken into account inaddition to group size and group severity when determining priority suchas the priority of the customer who is being affected by the fault.

FIG. 35 illustrates the pre-MLT priority weightings for the serviceanalysis process. When the priorities have been defined, the troublegroups with the highest priority are written to a file for testing.

Some of the correlated groupings will be moved ahead of the other toinsure that they will not be emitted from the MLT testing list.

1. For all groupings with at least one foreign electromotive force (FEF)of any type, apply Pre-MLT weighting factors to each member of the groupand calculate total for the group.

2. For, two or more trouble indications (SHWL, TRG, SRG) at the sameserving terminal, apply Pre-MLT weighting factors to each member of thegroup, and calculate the total for the group. Three or more troubleindications sharing the same serving terminal will get an extra priorityweighting to increase the group priority.

3. Move any groups containing a priority customer or a customer troublereport(s) up in priority over those groupings without prioritycustomers.

4. For all other groups, apply the Pre-MLT weighting factors to eachmember of the group and calculate the total for the group. The positionon the MLT list will be in order of the group's total weighting, butthey will follow the members of the first three group categories.

This group ranking will be used to run MLT tests. MLT tests shall be runon the first "n" groupings, where "n" is that number of groupings whosetotal indicators don't exceed "t", the total permissible MLT testsallowed for the Wire Center, or until the time allotted has expired. Thefinal prioritization shall be determined by totaling new weightings inthe Post-MLT SA Process.

Produce Output File for MLT Testing

Once prioritization is complete, the Pre-MLT process writes an outputfile consisting of Telephone Number and Multi-Line Hunt Group TerminalNumber (if applicable) for all troubles within the groups which will besubmitted to MLT testing. The total number of MLT tests allowed isdriven by the Maximum MLT parameters. Therefore, this output file willonly contain information for the highest priority groups up to themaximum number of lines. If all lines in a group cannot be tested due tothe limitation on total MLTs allowed, the entire group will be removedfrom the MLT test list.

The creation of this file completes the Pre-MLT correlation processing.In order to minimize the memory usage on the servers, the system dumpsall of the relevant information from memory into a binary file which isread back into memory following the MLT processing. The final step inthe pre-MLT process is the creation of a series of diagnostic reportsfor the system administrator. These reports include infornation on thenumber of rules which were activated, the amount of memory that wasused, the processing time, etc.

Step T3--MLT Processing

Upon completion of the Pre-MLT processing in Step T2, SA initiates theMLT testing process. The standard submit MLT process reads the outputfile created by the Pre-MLT SA process, and controls the MLT tests. TheMLT testing process will read the MLT file written by the Pre-MLTprocess and send the telephone number and when applicable a multi-linehunt terminal identification number for trouble verification.

When MLT results are received, the process stores the results in thecorporate database. This data includes all results relating to:

Telephone Number (and terminal number if applicable)

Office Equipment

MLT VER Code Value

Summary Message

MLT AC Signature

Resistance Tip to Ring

Resistance Ring to Ground

Resistance Tip to Ground

MLT Ringers

Tip to Ring (Y/blank)

Ring to Ground (Y/blank)

Tip to Ground (Y/blank)

MLT Thermistor

Tip to Ring (Y/blank)

Ring to Ground (Y/blank)

Tip to Ground (Y/blank)

MLT DC Signature Resistance/Voltage

Resistance Tip to Ring

Resistance Ring to Ground

Resistance Tip to Grourd

Voltage Ring to Ground

Voltage Tip to Ground

MLT Longitudinal Balance

MLT Loop Length

Open Distance from Central Office

Central Office Line Circuit Results

Capacitive Balance

When all tests have been submitted or when the MLT time constraint haselapsed, the MLT-submit process is ended.

Step T4--Post MLT

Upon completion of the Submit MLT process, SA initiates the Post MLTprocess. This process is also developed using the artificialintelligence product, ART/IM. The Post-MLT process uses the additionaldata provided by the MLT testing to reassess the trouble groups.Reassessment of trouble groups can be a complex process. Removingcertain troubles from a group often results in entire "branches" of thenetwork topology being removed and trouble relationships changed. Inaddition, the priority of the group can change significantly.

Filtering

First SA (Post-MLT) reads the binary file and reconstructs the networktopology in memory. Then SA calls the data contract, to retrieve all MLTresults. This contract retrieves all information stored by the MLTprocess for each line tested during this SA correlation run as well asbaseline MLT results.

Once all data is retrieved, SA analyzes the new results. SA runs basedon a rule set where the rules are fired (executed) as conditions foreach rule are satisfied. As discussed previously, this process does notnecessarily happen sequentially. The analyzation process is documentedin a step by step manner for ease of understanding all conditionsconsidered in this process. The reassessment process includes an initialfiltering step. These filtering rules are:

Remove all trouble with Test OK result from MLT.

Since MLT is a more rigorous testing tool, things that seem wrong inALIT may actually receive passing test results from MLT.

Remove all troubles which indicate a Central Office type trouble fromtheir original trouble groups and place them in a Central Office troublegroup.

Due to the MLT test, the system can determine which troubles appear tobe caused by problems inside the Central Office. As a result, the systemwill group all of the troubles which have this characteristic and createa single trouble ticket for inside dispatch.

Remove all troubles with marginally severe results.

If a trouble does not appear sufficiently "bad" using the MLT testingtool, it is removed from the trouble group. It is not efficient for thetechnicians to be dispatched on low severity troubles as they may havegreat difficulty in finding the trouble and if it is fixed it may notcause an improvement in the customer's service.

Compare MLT results against "baseline" MLT results and remove troubleswhich are not "real" troubles.

Characteristic or baseline MLT results will be stored as new lines areinstalled, or as existing lines are repaired. The "baseline" testindicates the electrical signature of the line when it is in goodworking condition. If the current test does not deviate beyond a certainrange from the baseline, the trouble will be removed from the group. Thebaseline test is important for customers that have equipment thataffects the electrical signature of the line but are not documented inexisting systems. For example, modems can cause a customer's line tolook faulty even if it is not. With a baseline MLT, the system will seethat customer's line appears faulty even when it is working properly andtherefore will not create a new repair request.

For example, a POTS Customer with telephone set and no other equipmentmight have the following baseline data:

    ______________________________________    DC Signature         AC Signature    KOHMS       VOLTS        KOHMS    ______________________________________    >1000             T-R        3 to 40                                        T-R    >1000       0     T-G        >80    T-G    >1000       0     R-G        >80    R-G    BALANCE         LOOP LENGTH => 100 FT.    CAP. >98%    LONG. >63 DB    ______________________________________

A failure would be indicated if:

The DC resistance fell below 1000K OHMS in any position (a baselinevalue between 1000K and 3500 K indicates that a short or ground isdeveloping but is not bad enough to cause trouble).

The DC voltage is less than zero in conjunction with a decreasingresistance in the same position, T-G or R-G. This indicates that a crossis developing.

The AC resistance T-R has increased by 1K or more in conjunction with areduction in CAP. balance of 1% or more and/or a reduction inlongitudinal balance of 2 DB or more. This is indicative of a seriesresistance forming at a binding post or other splice or connectionpoint. Any AC resistance change without a balance degradation isprobably due to the customer changing the station equipment arrangement(e.g., removing or adding telephone sets).

Capacitive balance reduction of >2% and/or longitudinal balancereduction of 2 DB without any other changes in baseline data elements.This would be indicative of an open bridged tap or a resistive cross toa non working pair in the same cable.

Loop length increases by more than 300 Ft. without any other changes inthe baseline data. This can be caused by a section of water filled PICcable without pair insulation problems that would cause leakage changes,or crosses.

Additional Data Retrieval

After the filtering process is complete, SA retrieves additional dataabout the remaining troubles. Using the data contract, SA retrieves allhistorical trouble tickets (closed) within the data range set by theNumber of Days of Historical Trouble Ticket parameter. Althoughhistorical trouble ticket information will not be used inre-prioritization (discussed in detail below), this information will bedisplayed on the trouble ticket with the trouble cause, disposition,technician identifier, and narrative. This may aid the technician inisolating the current trouble.

Using the data contract, SA retrieves defective pair information.Defective pairs are retrieved for each cable pair range in each troublegroup. The SA process establishes the cable pair ranges of interest ineach trouble group as it groups the various troubles. The defectivepairs within the last six months are highlighted on the technicianreport as they will be more helpful in clearing the trouble. Using thedata contract, SA derives spare pair information. Spare pairs arederived for each cable pair range in each trouble group.

Re-Prioritization

SA re-prioritizes trouble groups on the additional information retrievedthrough the Post-MLT process. The Post-MLT process weighting factors areapplied to each indicator within the trouble group. FIG. 36 illustratesthe post-MLT priority weightings for the service analysis process. Alltrouble groups that have a priority greater than the Minimum TroubleGroup Size and Minimum Total Priority of a Group values will beautomatically created in the database with a status of "suggested".

Creation of Technician Report

When all processing is complete, SA produces reports for each troublegroup, which will be given to the dispatch technician. These reportscontain details about the individual troubles including pertinent cableranges and terminal information. The priority, number of defectivepairs, number of spare pairs in each cable pair range, and number ofspare pairs in the F1 terminal will be printed on this report.

The report contains within its body the F1 cable terminal name, F1 cableand pair ranges serving the terminal, the number of spare pairs withineach range, and the F2 cable name. For each trouble indicator it willidentify high priority customers, F1 cable name, F1 cable pair,telephone number, F1 binding post: (in-out), F2 cable pair, the servingterminal binding post (BP) or color code, the serving terminal identity,the station address, the class of service, the ALIT/alarm results, themost severe MLT results, and rainy day count. It also includes pertinentrelationships that may not be obvious from the summary data (i.e., F1cable pair groupings, or F1 multiple terminals, etc. . . . ).

One of the major causes of trouble in the outside plant is environmentalchanges. Wet weather in particular is a major cause of network troubles.Often, many troubles occur only when the weather is bad. This is aproblem for trouble tracking because the cable or terminal which iscausing the trouble may dry out before the technician can begin tosearch for the fault. In this case, the technician will never be able tofind the trouble until the weather gets wet again. The troubles thatoccur only on wet days will only fail ALIT on wet days. With thehistorical ALIT data, the system can determine if any of the newtroubles have only failed historically on days when there were more thanthe average number of network faults. If this is the case, that troublewill be marked on the dispatch report as a "rain cause" or "environmentcause" trouble. This assessment or observation will warn the technicianeither to attempt to find the trouble early in the day before the cablesdry out or to retest the line before attempting to find the trouble.

Rain cause is determined by evaluating a counter which is stored foreach working line, the circuit rain counter. It is initialized to -1.When the ALIT occurs in this circuit on a "rainy day", this counter isincremented by the value of the rain increment parameter. When an ALIToccurs on this circuit on a normal day (not "rainy"), the indicatordecrements by the value of the normal increment parameter. If theCircuit Rain Counter becomes negative, it is defaulted to zero.

This rain cause process will cause the Circuit Rain Counter, forcircuits that only get ALITs on rainy days, to become quite large. If anALIT occurs on both rainy and not rainy days the indicator will stayrelatively small because it is incremented on rainy days and decrementson not rainy days. Therefore, when evaluating this counter, if it is ahigh value it is probably a rain cause trouble. A threshold valueparameter is, stored to ensure that the Circuit Rain Counter exceeds apredetermined value, thereby strongly indicating that the fault is dueto environmental conditions. If the Circuit Rain Counter is above thisthreshold it is considered to be a rain cause trouble.

Other parameters are required for this rain cause indication. A "rainy"day is defined by the percentage of ALITs received on a given day. Anaverage ALIT test failure percentage is kept per switch. This percentageof ALITs is considered to be the "normal" or "not rainy" day. This ismaintained as a moving average based on a predetermined history factor.Then the current days status is determined. If (total lines failed/totallines tested+history factor)>threshold, then it is a rainy day and allALIT rainy day counters re incremented accordingly.

Step T5--Batch Prioritization

The final step in the post-MLT process is the creation of a series ofdiagnostic reports for the system administrator. These reports includeinformation on the number of rules which fired or activated, the amountof memory that was used, the processing time, etc.

After completion of SA Post-MLT Correlation Process, SA initiates abatch process. This batch process will determine how many of thesuggested troubles will be updated to open trouble tickets. The numberof "opened" troubles is determined by a local user parameter. Eachgeographic area may cover multiple wire centers and will have differenttechnician availability's. Therefore, based on priorities, differentnumbers of trouble ticket groups will be opened. Knowing the number ofgroups allowed, the process reads the priorities of all "suggested"trouble groups and creates "open" trouble tickets. This process thensubmits these open trouble ticket groups to WFA/DO for dispatch.

This process also sends the technician's dispatch report, provided bythe Post-MLT SA process listing all the area detail for their specifictrouble group, to the local garage printer.

The basic processes performed by Service Analysis may be summarized asfollows:

(A) Determine Trouble Indicators

Per call test failures (PCTF)--TN and type failure.

Automatic line insulation tests (ALIT)--TN, type, failure, level.

Customer trouble reports--including MLT results.

Employee Reports.

Future indicators from fiber network.

(B) Filter out indicators from services that always fail ALIT (should beon PLIT which prevents ALIT processing)

Ground start PBXs.

Foreign Exchange Lines (FX).

Coin.

Video on demand.

Pair gain systems w/o ALIT & MLT capabilities.

Multiple indicators at same address (2 or more lines serving sameaddress)

Known station problem list.

(C) Generate list for addition to PLIT

(D) Build end to end description of circuit for each indicator

Include all cables, pairs, terminals in the circuit.

(E) Group indicators that have common network elements

F1 terminal (cross box)

F2 terminals with same F1

F2 terminals with multiple F1's

F1 cable, pair range

F1 in binding post range

F1 out binding post range

F2 cable, pair range

F2 terminal binding post range

Fn as F2 above (n=3,4, . . . )

Future fiber network common elements

(F) Prioritize Groups for MLT testing (by switch)

Apply weighting factors to each indicator in group Add additionalweighting for customer TR or priority customer.

Total individual weighting factors to get group weighting.

Generate list for MLT testing (1st on list--highest group weighting,last on list--lowest group weighting).

(G) Test as many groups as MLT testing time permits, or until all groupsare tested

Discard all indicators that test OK (or groups if appropriate)

(H) Add detailed terminal and cable data to circuits

Defective pairs, spare pairs, pair ranges in terminals.

(I) Prioritize post MLT groups (by dispatch area)

Use new weighting factors for each indicator in group

Add additional weighting for low spare pair cable segments.

Generate list by dispatch area (highest group weighting--top, lowest . .. bottom)

(J) Print group reports

Summary report

Detailed Report

Defective pair report

(K) Statistical analysis

Do statistical analysis to match MLT test result patterns to most likelytype of failure (e.g., cable, terminals)

Service Analysis Features

Rule based decisions.

Easily changed w/o invalidating blocks of code.

Rules fire in parallel as opposed to serial flow of events.

Fiber network easily covered by establishing rules to deal with fibercut alarms, equipment circuit pack alarms or any indicators of troublefrom the new network.

Use of MLT Base Line (or reference) data for each loop

The base line information can be used to see faults in early developmentbefore the faults become service affecting (e.g., series resistancebuildup on tip or ring yields larger AC resistance tip to ring as wellas capacitive unbalance).

The base line information can also be used to detect the presence ofresistive faults on station devices with dc signature (e.g., the dcresistance component of the signature will be smaller than the referencevalue due to the resistance fault in parallel with it).

Corporate Database Information Features

Includes reference or base line data for each loop.

Includes all terminals in loop along with cable and pair rangesappearing in each terminal.

Includes all defective pairs, date made defective, and why, includingdistance to fault data.

Includes all spare pairs.

Captures bridged tap information.

Service Analysis can be run by a batch process, or asynchronousprocessing to respond to customer calls in real-time. Caseworkers accessService Analysis on a real-time basis. If the need for an outsidedispatch is established, the system will read all associated proactivetrouble groups to append to the new customer call. In addition, relatedclosed trouble tickets and defective pairs will be grouped as well todisplay for the technician.

It will be readily seen by one of ordinary skill in the art that thepresent invention fulfills all of the objects set forth above. Afterreading the foregoing specification, one of ordinary skill will be ableto effect various changes, substitutions of equivalents and variousother aspects of the invention as broadly disclosed herein. It istherefore intended that the protection granted hereon be limited only bythe definition contained in the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

GLOSSARY/ACRONYMS

ACE (Automated Cable Expertise)--is a software/hardware expert systemthat analyzes historical data on outside plant troubles.

AHN--Assigned House Number--Used to idertify living units inprovisioning systems for non-addressed areas.

AIN--Advanced Intelligent Network.

AIRS--Automatic Inventory Record System--A system used to create andmaintain telephone numbers. This system is being replaced by COSMOS.

AR--Assignment Request--Message sent from SOAC to LFACS to request anoutside loop facility. Also sent from SOAC to COSMOS requesting aninside central office facility.

ARR--Assignment Request Response--The message sent in response to theAssignment Request from LFACS and COSMOS.

ARSA (Automated Repair Service Answering)--is designed to automateactivities in the repair answering centers. This system supportsoperations persons by direct customer entry of trouble reports andproviding status via appropriate user interface devices.

ASTR--Automatic Suspension Termination Restoral--ASTR generates requeststo terminate or restore residential service for nonpayment.

BAARS--Bell Atlantic Automated Records System--Engineering designsystem.

CUS--CUstomer Service System--billing system.

SOP/DOE--Service Order Processor/Direct Order Entry.

BOSS--Billing Order Support System--Used by Residence and BusinessService Centers to assist service representatives with billing inquiriesand services. Interfaces with CRIS and provides: 1) current monthlybill; 2) previous bill; 3) payments; 4) audit trail of account history(i.e., payment arrangements, discussions regarding service, record ofcontacts).

BSC--Business Service Center.

CAS--(Craft Access System)--is a software/hardware system that providesoutside craft direct access to LMOS and MLT via a portable hand heldterminal. In NJB access is also provided to GDS.

CCF--Custom Calling Feature--Defines a particular feature which is partof a customer's service. It can be identified by either a USOC or a FID.

CDDS--Customer Director Delivery System.

CF--Connected Facilities--A provisioning description of a facility thatconnects cable and pair from the central office to the living unit butis not considered the primary service.

CLASS--Custom Local Area Signaling Service--CLASS services includingCaller ID, Repeat Call, Return Call, Call Block and Call Trace.

CNF--Connected Facility--A CNF's loop is a non-working loop that hascontinuity between the LU and either the Central Office or a RemoteSwitching Unit. It does not qualify for CT administration but is givenpreference for assignment at a living unit over spare facilities.

COF--Central Office Facilities.

COSMOS--COmputer System for Mainframe OperationS--Manages the centraloffice facility inventory including OE and TNs.

CP--Cable Pair.

CRAS (Cable Repair Administration System)--software/hardware providesanalytical reports on outside plant troubles and technician performanceadministrative reports.

CRIS--Customer Records Information System--The billing system forexchange services.

Cross-connect--A cross-connect refers to either a physical jumper cableor an electronic connection which connects two cable pair segmentstogether. For example, a specific F1 cable pair may be cross-connectedto a F2 cable pair via a jumper cable in a serving terminal.Cross-connects allow flexibility in the manner that a specific loop isassembled.

CRSAB--Centralized Repair Service Answerirg Bureau--The unit thataccepts customer trouble calls, performs cursory testing and passesinformation to Installation and Maintenance.

CSOP--Common Service Order Processor--Translates service request fromSSNS into service order format and reverse.

CT--Connect-Through--A CT'd loop is a non-working loop that hascontinuity between the living unit (LU) and either the Central Office ora Remote Switching Unit and is designated as CT. LFACS only creates oneCT per living unit and it receives preferential status for furtherassignment at that living unit.

Customer Contact--The business functions performed by representatives ofthe residence Service Centers or Residence Collection Centers to meetthe needs of customers.

DD--Due Date--The date in which a customer's request is scheduled to becompleted.

DIP--Dedicated Inside Plant--A DIP refers to a jumper cable which is notremoved when services is disconnected. A DIP is created so that thejumper cable may be reused when service is reestablished at the sameliving unit, thereby saving the manual labor cost required to replacethe jumper cable. The "DIP'd" jumper cable will receive a status of"left-in", or LI. COSMOS will create and break DIPs based on presetparameters.

DON--Delayed Order Notice--Message indicating that a service requestwill be delayed because of the lack of facilities.

DNP--Disconnect for Non-Payment.

DSDC--Distribution Services Design Center--Work group responsible fordesigns of the outside facilities, also responsible for entering newaddress and inventory data into LFACS, COSMOS and PREMIS.

DSPC--Distribution Services Planning Center--Monitors the state of thecurrent facilities in order to plan for the creation of new facilities.

EAMI--Exchange Access Mechanized Input system--A batch process (tape) ofcustomer accounts who have selected specific inter-exchange carriers tobe their long distance provider. Data is used to update the CRIS billingsystems and the switch.

ESOI--Error Service Order Image--Message sent from SOAC to the SOP ifthe service order fails defined edits or other conditions.

ET--Enhanced Teams--A uniform call distribution network that evenlydistributes customer calls to appropriate RSCs and BSCS.

EWO--Engineering Work Order--Work request to modify network facilities,created by engineering and sent to construction for networkmodifications.

FA--Facility Address.

FACS--Facilities Assignment and Control System Includes SOAC, LFACS,COSMOS, LOMS and WM.

FCC--Frame Control Center--Work group responsible for the coordinationof inside network facility activities such as placing jumpers between OEand the F1 cable pair.

FCIF--Flexible Computer Interface Format--A data interface language thatcan be used to exchange data (messages) between twoapplications/processes. The FCIF language is independent of thecommunication protocol. It is the current Bellcore standard for definingOS-to-OS interfaces.

FID--Field IDentifier--Used on service orders that indicates more datawill follow. A label on a service order that prefaces service orderinformation. FIDs are alpha or alphanumeric codes that identify retainedinformation on an account, indicate physical or record activity,generate or negate non-recurring charges, specify recurring charges,document work done by various departments and identify facilities usedto provide service.

FIDO--Fast Input Directory Order (system)--A computer system used byService Representatives, to order secondary or foreign telephonedirectories (directories outside of the customer's calling area).

First Net Order--A pending service order that is in its original state,as created by the Service Representative.

FITL--Fiber in the Loop.

F1, F2, F3, etc. cable pair--The F1 cable pair is the first segment ofcable which comprises the outside plant loop. The F1 originates in thecentral office and terminates at a distribution terminal or servingterminal. In the case where a customer is served beyond the distributionterminal this is referred to as the "feeder" pair.

The F2 cable pair is the second segment of cable in the outside plantloop facility. The F2 originates at the distribution terminal where theF1 cable pair ends and will normally terminate at the serving terminal.The F2 pair is sometimes referred to as the "distribution" pair.

There are cases where the loop may be assembled from more than two setsof facilities (F1 and F2) these would be referred to as F3, F4, etc.

FMO--Future Method of Operation--The manner in which functions andprocesses will be performed in the future.

FOM--FACS Operations Management--Centralized work group involved inresolving RMAs that cannot be resolved by the local centers.

FX--Foreign Exchange--Assignment of a telephone number and local callingarea that differs from the customer's serving wire center.

GSG--Geographic Site Guide.

GUI--Graphical User Interface.

ICC--Installation Control Center, work center involved with the dispatchof outside technicians and the management of service requests involvingoutside network work or customer wiring work.

IISA--Integrated Information Systems Architecture.

I&M--Installation and Maintenance--The work group responsible forscheduling and performing installation and maintenance activities. Thiswork can be performed anywhere from the customer premise to the centraloffice.

IMOSS--ISDN Marketing and Operations Support System.

Interchangeable Exchange--A group of NXXs that offer identical servicesand calling areas within a given wire center and are available fortelephone number assignment.

ISCP--Integrated Service Control Point--Network element in the AINnetwork.

IXC--Inter-exchange Carrier--A carrier authorized by the FederalCommunications Commission (FCC) to provide interLATA, interstate and/orinternational long distance communications services; a carrierauthorized by a state Public Utility Commission (PUC) to provide longdistance communications service but not local exchange service withinstate boundaries. Also referred to as "IC", "IEC", or "IXC".

LA--Listed Address--Appears in the LST section of the service order toidentify a telephone service as appearing in the White Pages directory,with Director Assistance or on company records only. The List Address isnot necessarily the physical location of the service.

LAC--Loop Assignment Center--Same as MLAC, normally referred to an MLACafter the center has been converted to FACS.

LATA--Local Access and Transport Area.

LATIS (Loop Activity Terminal Information System)--constructionmaintenance system, runs off-line in batch mode. Reports are generatedto show where operating costs are occurring in the outside plant (loop)network.

LCC--Line Class Code--Identifies to the switch a particular class ofservice. It can be identified by a USOC, FID, or some combination of thetwo. The FID would modify the USOC by qualifying the class of servicewith specific attributes such as 700/900 blocking.

LDM--Logical Data Model.

LEIS--Loop Engineering Information System--Operations system used by theDSDC to monitor the outside plant network for network modifications ofgrowth.

LET--Line Equipment Transfer--The transfer of central office lineequipment to support area transfers or load balancing.

LFACS--Loop Facility Assignment and Control System--A member of the FACS(Facilities and Assignment Control System) family of applications, LFACSis a Bellcore designed system that inventories and assigns all loopfacilities from a customer's premises to the main distributing frame inthe central office.

LI--Left-In, status given to jumpers in the central office connectingthe F1 cable pair with an OE.

LMOS--Loop Maintenance Operations System--An AT&T developed system usedto maintain line records and identify network troubles.

LOMS--LAC Operations Management System--Services orders that do notautomatically flow through the provisioning process "fall out" ofautomatic processing and are managed by LOMS. LOMS assists the MLAC inmanagement of RMAs (Requests for Manual Assistance).

LST--Line and Station Transfer--Rearrangement of outside networkfacilities to support service activation.

LU--Living Unit--The exact physical location of phone service (i.e., ahouse, business, garage, apartment, etc.). Living Unit information isstored in PREMIS.

MARCH (Memory Administration Recent Change System) (formerly MIZAR)--isa software product that accepts input from the SOAC component of FACS,interprets the information and formulates the switch specific messagethat is ultimately sent to the switch to activate the customers' servicerequest.

MCRF--Mechanized Credit Reference File. A system used by C&P for creditverification. It will be discontinued and replaced with the more robustSSRDF.

MCSS (Maintenance Contact Support System)--supports caseworker in thereceipt and processing of customer trouble reports.

MISOS/DOE--Minimal Input Service Order System/Direct Order Entry--TheService Order Processor used by New Jersey Bell.

MLAC--Mechanized Loop Assignment Center--The MLAC is responsible for theadministration of service orders through the provisioning process.Service orders which cannot automatically flow through the provisioningsystems are resolved at the MLAC.

MLHG--Multi-Line Hunt Group.

MSP--Multi Services Platform--Operations, system used to support theUltra-Forward service, also designed to support other new servicesneeding switch updates.

MTAS (Mechanized Trouble Analysis System)--analysis of customer troublehistory data.

MVP--Multi-Variety Package--Centrex service for residential and smallbusiness customers.

NAC--Network Administration Center--The NAC is responsible formonitoring and administering operations on the central office switches.This includes monitoring the availability of OE and ensuring that theswitches are properly load balanced.

The NAC is also responsible for telephone number administration. Thisincludes the management of TN inventory and the distribution of TNs tothe BSC or RSC for assignment.

NID--Network Interface Device--The NID serves as the interface betweenoutside plant facilities and the living unit (LU). This is also referredto as the "point of demarcation". This is on the customer's side of thenetwork and protector.

NMA (Network Monitoring & Analysis--Facilities)--system communicateswith remote telemetry equipment located in COs and provides alarm statuson the facility network to Facility Management Administration Centers(FMAC).

NPA--Numbering Plan Area--The area code of the telephone number. Forexample, in the number (703) 555-1367, 703 is the NPA.

NXX--Also known as the NNX--The telephone number exchange. For example,in the number (703) 555-1367, 555 is the exchange.

OE--Office Equipment--The office equipment is the switch port that isused to connect the F1 cable pair with the switch. It is the physicalhardware within the central office that provides originating andterminating call functionality. It includes line terminations, signaling(including dial-tone) and supervision and call completion.

OM--Order Manager--Operations support system that supportsimplementation of SDT in the current environment by modifying serviceorder to create or disconnect the SDT line. Other implementations of theOM have created a second order to perform this function.

OSCA--Open Systems Computing Architecture--Addresses the way systemsshould be constructed for data independencies and optimum modularity.

OSP--Outside Plant--Includes the cable pair segments, terminals andcross connects which are combined to create a complete outside loop.This outside loop connects a customer living unit with a central officeserving the customer.

PCF--Partially Connected Facility--A PCF'd facility is a non-workingloop that is connected to a living unit but is not connected completelyback to the Central Office or a Remote Switching Unit.

PIC--Primary Interexchange Carrier--A FID in the Service and Equipmentsection of the service order that describes the long distance carrierselected to carry interLATA, interstate and/or international tolltraffic for a customer.

PICX--The unique three character code that denotes an inter-exchangecarrier selected by the customer.

POTS--Plain Old Telephone Service--Basic telephone service for thetransmission of human speech.

PREDICTOR--provides the software/hardware that receives maintenancemessages from switching machines and detects incipient cable, coin, andother troubles before they become service affecting or widespread.

PREMIS--Premise Information System--A Bellcore developed stand-alonecomponent of FACS. PREMIS provides interactive support to RSCs, andBSCs, and Loop Assignment Centers. For the RSCs and BSCs, PREMIS offers:address verification, SAG and Living Unit information, negotiation aid,commitment dates, service order assistance, telephone number assignment,credit information, interexchange carrier selection.

PREMIS Maintenance Center (PMC)--The work group responsible for updatingthe PREMIS system.

PMO--Present Method of Operation--The manner in which functions andprocesses are performed today. Current Environment.

PTN--Preferred Telephone Number--A special telephone number selected bythe customer; or a telephone number selected by the NAC to fulfill acustomer's request for an easy number. (Easy TNs are described as thosenumbers that have at least two of the same number in the extension.)

PUC--Public Utility Commission--The governing body in each state thatsets, changes, and removes restrictions and regulations on utilitycompanies. The PUC is in place to protect consumer's interests.

RAO--Revenue Accounting Office--A unit that administers paymentmanagement and billing systems support.

RBOC--Regional Bell Operating Company.

RCC--Residence Collection Center--A unit that manages billing andcollections activities. Collection agents work in the RCCs. Each companyhas multiple RCCs spread throughout its territory.

RCMAC--Recent Change Memory Administration Center--Work groupresponsible for memory administration changes to the central officeswitch.

Recap--On change orders and restorals, the process by which the serviceorder processor will place the nonchanging features and services on theservice order based on information stored in the customer record inCRIS. Also, the business function performed by the ServiceRepresentative to ensure that the customer order was accuratelyrecorded.

RFACCS--Regional Final Accounts Credit and Collections System--A systemused by the RCCs to manage final account billing and collections. Usedto verify credit.

RIDES--Remote Intelligent Distribution Element Support--Support systemfor activation of fiber network elements in the loop.

RIDS--An acronym for the SSNS process that will search for Restrictions,Incompatibilities, or Dependencies with basic, toll, and optionalservices selected by a customer.

RMAS--Remote Memory Administration System--Support system for creatingrecent change messages and interacting with the central office switchfor line memory changes.

RSC--Residence Service Center--A unit that provides customers with entryto the Telco. The RSCs handle inquiries, complaints, requests forservice and billing and payment assistance. Service Representatives workin the RSCs. Each company has multiple FSCs spread throughout itsterritory.

RTS--Ready-to-Serve--The concept in which facilities are stabilized anddedicated to living units in order to provide service to the customerwhen requested.

SA--Service Address--A FID in the LST section of the service order thatdescribes the physical location of the service.

SAG--Street Address Guide--Defines parameters for defining a customer'sservice, including but not limited to NPA, NXX, wire center, rates zone,and terminating traffic area. SAG information is stored in PREMIS.

SalesCue--A subset of SSNS, SalesCue assists reps by recommendingproducts and services to sell to customers based on demographics andlife-style clues obtained during the contact.

SDT--Soft Dial Tone--Restricted dial tone that is placed on thecustomers line that provides restricted calling to the business officeto place service orders and to 911 for emergencies.

Second Net Order--A pending service order that has been through theprovisioning process and has facilities assigned.

Service on Demand--The concept which provides service to the customer onthe date that he requests. Also referred to as "When do you Want it"service.

SOAC--Service Order Analysis and Control--The controller portion of theFACS family of systems.

SOACS--Service Order Administration and Control System--The ServiceOrder Processor used by C&P Telephone.

SOI--Service Order Image--Orders which SOAC determines will requiremanual intervention in MARCH are sent as order images, including alldata on the service order.

SOP--Service Order Processor (Generic)--it system for creating, editingand distributing service orders to downstream processes and systems.

SOP/DOE--Service Order Procedure/Direct Order Entry.

SSNS--Sales Service Negotiation System--As graphical user interfacesystem that presents information to service representatives from avariety of systems and platforms in a window format to assistnegotiation of services and inquiries. Manages the contact betweenservice negotiators and customers. It collects the information necessaryto build a service order that downstream systems can process forservices and equipment provisioning, customer management, and billing.

SSRDF--Social Security/Repetitive Debt File--A credit verificationsystem.

TCAT--Telephone Number Category--A three character code describing theoverall service that the customer will receive. Used during TN selectionwith PREMIS.

Third Net Order--An order that has been through the provisioning andmemory administration processes. Often referred to as a "completed"order.

TN--Telephone Number--A ten digit number comprised of an area code(NPA), an exchange (NXX), and an extension.

TP--Translation Packet--SOAC creates TPs from the service order itreceives from the service order processor. SOAC checks the USOCs/FIDs,determines that the order should flow through MARCH, strips the memoryadministration codes off the order, and formats the TPs which it sendsto MARCH.

TQM--Total Quality Management.

ULBB--User Layer Building Block--For example, the presentation layer ofSSNS that service reps use.

USOC--Universal Service Order Code--An alphanumeric coding scheme thatidentifies products and services that have been ordered by a customer.

VMAP--Voice Mail Adjunct Processor.

VOD--Video On Demand.

WDYWI--When Do You Want It--Service on Demand.

WFA (Work and Force Administration) provides an improved capability formanaging installation and maintenance services of new services andtechnologies. Work Administration analyzes work to be done, determinesresources required, manages the allocation of work to work groups, andtracks completion of work steps. Force administration determines theavailability of specific human resources, assigns specific work tocraft, tracks details of work completion reports work status, andhandles inquiries on work status.

WFA/Control (Work and Force Administration--Control)--automates workrequest administration and resource administration functions. Enhancedto include exception handling. It combines the work functions ofmultiple work centers into one Customer Service Network Operation Center(CSNOC).

WFA/DI (Work and Force Administration--Dispatch In)--automates workrequest admin and the force admin functions for CO craft personnel. Itis an administrative tool used to price, load and track work in the CO.It also provides a provisioning document containing informationnecessary to install designed services.

WFA/DO--Work and Force Administration/Dispatch Out--WFA/DO isresponsible for determining the need for dispatching, scheduling thedispatch, and managing of jobs for service orders which require adispatch. This includes both outside plant installation and customerpremises work. It automates work request admin and the force adminfunctions for outside plant forces. It provides an automated tool forthe mechanization of the local loop dispatch process. WFA/DO mechanizesseveral labor intensive dispatch and completion functions byautomatically routing, pricing mapping, scheduling and loading workwithin a dispatch center.

WM--Work Manager--Operations system that manages data traffic betweenSOAC and COSMOS and between SOAC and MARCH.

We claim:
 1. In an administration system for a public switched telephonenetwork which includes an attendant station for receiving servicerequests and collecting customer information, credit verificationservice order processor (SOP) for creating and distributing serviceorders for processing by downstream processing systems such as ServiceOrder Analysis and Control (SOAC) system, a Computer System forMainframe Operations (COSMOS) system, SWITCH system, Loop FacilityAssignment and Control System (LFACS) system, and Adjunct Processor (AP)having storage for storing data including Living Unit (LU) data, networkfacility data and Telephone Number (TN) data, a first test systemtesting a communication line in a communication cable associated withthe customer in accordance with a first test producing troubleindicators indicating a potentially defective communication line, asecond test system testing groups of the trouble indicators associatedwith the communication line in accordance with a second test, and a dataprocessor generating an end to end description of the communication lineto be tested, prioritizing the groups that are potentially defectiveindicating the potentially defective communication line generatingprioritized groups, and generating a report to be used for examining thepotentially defective communication line using the prioritized groups, amethod of provisioning and maintaining the working status of customernetwork facilities, comprising the steps of:(a) receiving a servicerequest from a customer at a living un it requesting service; (b)determining whether the service request from the living unit is eligiblefor processing by the adjunct processor; (c) when the service request iseligible, automatically provisioning customer equipment to execute theservice request based upon information including customer identificationdata and customer facilities, and the information maintained withoutaltering the customer facilities when a subsequent disconnect request isreceived from the customer; (d) receiving a customer request; (e)retrieving related customer profile information including at least oneof billing, service order, circuit test history, and trouble history;(f) obtaining a description of the customer trouble and entering atrouble type associated therewith; (g) building a trouble report; (h)testing the communication line and generating test results; (i)determining, responsive to first criteria, whether additionalinformation is needed, or whether the trouble report can be closed out,or whether the trouble report should be dispatched to a customer workgroup, and if so, transmitting the trouble report for review by thecustomer work group; (j) transmitting the trouble report to the customerwork group using trouble routing criteria, mapping the trouble report toa maintenance area, determining a trouble priority, and assigning atrouble report status; (k) grouping at least one of related open workrequests and proactively determined troubles with the trouble reportbased on grouping rules including similarity of trouble, similarity ofgeographic area, and available time, the proactively determined troublesbeing determined in accordance with the following steps:(k1) performinga first level test of the communication line in the communication cableassociated with the customer producing trouble indicators indicating apotentially defective communication line; (k2) filtering the troubleindicators from predetermined communication services associated with thecommunication line that provide potentially false trouble indicatorsproducing filtered trouble indicators; (k3) generating a list of thefiltered trouble indicators to be considered when determining whetherthe communication line is potentially defective; (k4) generating an endto end description of the communication line to be tested; (k5) groupingthe filtered trouble indicators that have common network elements ingroups; (k6) prioritizing the groups for performing a second level testof the communication line; (k7) testing the groups prioritized for thecommunication line; (k8) discarding the groups that are in asatisfactory status responsive to predetermined criteria; (k9)prioritizing the groups that are potentially defective indicating thepotentially defective communication line generating prioritized groupsof the proactively determined troubles; (l) building a work load for atechnician responsive to the related open work requests, the troublereport, the proactively determined troubles and technician informationincluding work schedule, job type, work areas, and job skills; (m)accessing information stored in operation support systems including atleast one of the SOP, the SOAC system, the COSMOS system, the SWITCHsystem, the LFACS system, the AP, the first test system, the second testsystem, and the data processor as needed; (n) repairing and testing thecommunication line associated with the trouble report to verify that thecommunication line is working; (o) notifying the customer that thetrouble report has been resolved and the trouble is closed out; (p)resolving the at least one of the related open work requests and theproactively determined troubles; (q) generating a completion messageresponsive to said repairing step (n) and said resolving step (p); and(r) transmitting the completion message to at least one of the SOP, theSOAC system, the COSMOS system, the SWITCH system, the LFACS system, theAP, the first test system, the second test system, and the dataprocessor as needed.
 2. A method of provisioning and maintaining theworking status of customer network facilities according to claim 1,wherein said testing step (h) further comprises the step of performing atest of the communication line producing additional trouble indicators,at least one of the trouble indicators and the additional troubleindicators including at least one of:(h1) a per call test failure (PCTF)indicator; (h2) an automatic line insulation test indicator; (h3) acustomer trouble report including a mechanized loop test indicator; (h4)an employee report indicator; and (h5) a fiber network type indicator.3. A method of provisioning and maintaining the working status ofcustomer network facilities according to claim 2, wherein said testingstep (h) further comprises the step of filtering the additional troubleindicators generating a list of additional potentially false troubleindicators associated with the communication line, at least one of thepotentially false trouble indicators and the additional potentiallyfalse trouble indicators including at least one of:a ground start PBX; aforeign exchange line; a coin line; a video on demand line; a pair gainsystem without mechanized loop test or automatic line insulation testcapabilities; a multiple indicator at same address; and a known stationproblem list.
 4. A method of provisioning and maintaining the workingstatus of customer network facilities according to claim 1, wherein atleast one of said testing step (h) and generating step (k4) furthercomprises the step of generating an end to end description of thiscommunication line for each communication line to be tested includingall cables, pairs, and terminals in the communication line.
 5. A methodof provisioning and maintaining the working status of customer networkfacilities according to claim 2, wherein said grouping step (k) furthercomprises the step of grouping the trouble indicators that have commonnetwork elements including at least one of:F1 terminal; F2 terminalswith same F1 terminal; F2 terminals with multiple F1 terminals; F1terminal cable and pair range; F1 terminal in binding post range; F1terminal out binding post range; F2 terminal cable and pair range; F2terminal in binding post range; F2 terminal out binding post range; andfiber network common elements.
 6. A method of provisioning andmaintaining the working status of customer network facilities accordingto claim 1, wherein the work requests are one of stapled and linked tothe trouble report.
 7. A method of provisioning and maintaining theworking status of customer network facilities according to claim 1,wherein said grouping step (k) further comprises the step ofprioritizing the groups that are potentially defective indicating thepotentially defective communication line using at least one of:additional weighting for low spare pair cable segments, and a dispatchlist prioritizing the potentially defective communication line bydispatch area, available time and priority.
 8. A method of provisioningand maintaining the working status of customer network facilitiesaccording to claim 1, wherein said determining step (i) furthercomprises the step of determining whether the trouble report should bedispatched to a customer work group responsive to related informationregarding similar and related troubles that have been experiencedcontemporaneously with other network facilities related to thecommunication line.
 9. A method of provisioning and maintaining theworking status of customer network facilities according to claim 1,wherein said determining step (i) further comprises the step ofdetermining whether the trouble report should be dispatched to acustomer work group responsive to related proactive and reactivetroubles that have been experienced contemporaneously by other customerson other communication lines related to the communication line.
 10. Amethod of provisioning and maintaining the working status of customernetwork facilities according to claim 1, wherein said determining step(i) further comprises the step of determining whether the trouble reportshould be dispatched to a customer work group responsive to baselineinformation of the communication line accessed on a real-time basis. 11.A method of provisioning and maintaining the working status of customernetwork facilities according to claim 1, further comprising the step ofinforming technicians that have already been dispatched to repair adefective network facility to repair other related troubles in thesubstantially same geographic area.
 12. A method of provisioning andmaintaining the working status of customer network facilities accordingto claim 1, further comprising the steps of:(s) when the service requestis not eligible generating a provisioning request; and (t) automaticallyprovisioning second customer equipment to execute the service request,responsive to the provisioning request, based upon the customeridentification data and one of the customer facilities and new customerfacilities.
 13. A method of provisioning and maintaining the workingstatus of customer network facilities according to claim 12, wherein theautomatically provisioning step (s) further comprises the step ofoptimizing the provisioning of the second customer equipment whichdetermines whether the one of the customer facilities and the newcustomer facilities are selected for the second customer equipment. 14.In an administration system for a public switched telephone networkwhich includes an attendant station for receiving service requests andcollecting customer information, credit verification service orderprocessor (SOP) for creating and distributing service orders forprocessing by downstream processing systems such as Service OrderAnalysis and Control (SOAC) system, a Computer System for MainframeOperations (COSMOS) system, SWITCH system, Loop Facility Assignment andControl System (LFACS) system, and Adjunct Processor (AP) having storagefor storing data including Living Unit (LU) data, network facility dataand Telephone Number (TN) data, a combination provisioning andmaintenance system for provisioning and analyzing the working status ofcustomer network facilities in response to a customer request reportinga customer trouble, comprising:an attendant station receiving thecustomer request, retrieving related customer profile information,obtaining a description of the customer trouble and entering a troubletype associated therewith corresponding to a first communication linerepresenting a reactively determined trouble, and building a firsttrouble report; a first test system testing a second communication linein the communication cable associated with the customer producingtrouble indicators indicating a potentially defective firstcommunication line representing a potentially proactively determinedtrouble, and building a second trouble report; a second test system,responsively connected to said first test system and to said attendantstation, said second test system testing at least one of the first andsecond communication lines and determining, responsive to criteria,whether at least one of the first and second trouble reports should bedispatched to a customer work group, and if so, transmitting the atleast one of the first and second trouble reports for review by thecustomer work group together with existing related proactive andreactive trouble reports to the customer work group using troublerouting criteria, a data processor, operatively connected to said firstand second test systems, generating an end to end description of the atleast one of the first and second communication lines to be tested bysaid second test system responsive to the reactively determined troubleand the potentially proactively determined trouble to determine whetherthe at least one of the first and second communication lines require atleast one of inspection and repair; a work request processing anddispatch system, responsively connected to said attendant station,grouping related open work requests with at least one of the first andsecond trouble reports and the existing related reactive and proactivetrouble reports based on grouping rules including similarity of trouble,similarity of geographic area, and available time, building a work loadfor a technician; and said Adjunct Processor, responsively connected tosaid attendant station, and determining whether the service request fromthe living unit is eligible for processing by the adjunct processor, andwhen the service request is eligible, automatically provisioningcustomer equipment to execute the service request based upon informationincluding customer identification data and customer facilities, and theinformation maintained by the Adjunct Processor without altering thecustomer facilities when a subsequent disconnect request is receivedfrom the customer.
 15. A combination provisioning and maintenance systemprovisioning and analyzing the working status of customer networkfacilities according to claim 14, wherein said second test systemperforms a test of at least one of the first and second communicationlines producing additional trouble indicators, the trouble indicatorsand the additional trouble indicators including at least one of:a percall test failure (PCTF) indicator; an automatic line insulation testindicator; a customer trouble report including a mechanized loop testindicator; an employee report indicator; and a fiber network typeindicator.
 16. A combination provisioning and maintenance systemprovisioning and analyzing the working status of customer networkfacilities according to claim 15, wherein said second test systemfilters the additional trouble indicators generating a list ofadditional potentially false trouble indicators associated with at leastone of the first and second the communication lines, the troubleindicators and the additional potentially false trouble indicatorsincluding at least one of:a ground start PBX; a foreign exchange line; acoin line; a video on demand line; a pair gain system without mechanizedloop test or automatic line insulation test capabilities; a multipleindicator at same address; and a known station problem list.
 17. Acombination provisioning and maintenance system provisioning andanalyzing the working status of customer network facilities according toclaim 14, wherein said second test system generates an end to enddescription of the communication line for each communication line to betested including all cables, pairs, and terminals in the communicationline.
 18. A combination provisioning and maintenance system provisioningand analyzing the working status of customer network facilitiesaccording to claim 15, wherein said work request processing and dispatchsystem groups at least one of the trouble indicators and the additionaltrouble indicators that have common network elements including at leastone of:F1 terminal; F2 terminals with same F1 terminal; F2 terminalswith multiple F1 terminals; F1 terminal cable and pair range; F1terminal in binding post range; F1 terminal out binding post range; F2terminal cable and pair range; F2 terminal in binding post range; F2terminal out binding post range; and fiber network common elements. 19.A combination provisioning and maintenance system provisioning andanalyzing the working status of customer network facilities according toclaim 14, wherein the work requests are one of stapled and linked to atleast one of the first and second trouble reports.
 20. A combinationprovisioning and maintenance system provisioning and analyzing theworking status of customer network facilities according to claim 14,wherein said work request processing and dispatch system prioritizes thegroups that are potentially defective indicating that at least one ofthe first and second communication lines are potentially defective usingat least one of: additional weighting for low spare pair cable segments,and a dispatch list prioritizing the potentially defective communicationline by dispatch area, available time and priority.
 21. A combinationprovisioning and maintenance system provisioning and analyzing theworking status of customer network facilities according to claim 14,wherein using at least one of said first and second test systems, acaseworker determines whether the trouble report should be dispatched toa customer work group responsive to related information regardingsimilar and related troubles that have been experiencedcontemporaneously with other network facilities related to at least oneof the first and second communication lines.
 22. A combinationprovisioning and maintenance system provisioning and analyzing theworking status of customer network facilities according to claim 14,wherein using at least one of said first and second test systems, acaseworker determines whether the trouble report should be dispatched toa customer work group responsive to related proactive and reactivetroubles that have been experienced contemporaneously by other customerson other communication lines related to at least one of the first andsecond communication lines.
 23. A combination provisioning andmaintenance system provisioning and analyzing the working status ofcustomer network facilities according to claim 14, wherein using atleast one of said first and second test systems, a caseworker determineswhether the trouble report should be dispatched to a customer work groupresponsive to baseline information of at least one of the first andsecond communication lines accessed on a real-time basis.
 24. Acombination provisioning and maintenance system provisioning andanalyzing the working status of customer network facilities according toclaim 14, wherein a caseworker informs technicians that have alreadybeen dispatched to repair a defective network facility to repair otherrelated troubles in the substantially same geographic area.
 25. Acombination provisioning and maintenance system provisioning andanalyzing the working status of customer network facilities according toclaim 14,wherein when the service request is not eligible, said AdjunctProcessor generates a provisioning request, and the service request isautomatically provisioned with second customer equipment to execute theservice request, based upon the customer identification data and one ofthe customer facilities and new customer facilities.
 26. A combinationprovisioning and maintenance system provisioning and analyzing theworking status of customer network facilities according to claim 25,wherein the service request is automatically provisioned by optimizingthe provisioning of the second customer equipment which determineswhether the one of the customer facilities and the new customerfacilities are selected for the second customer equipment.
 27. In anadministration system for a public switched telephone network whichincludes an attendant station for receiving service requests andcollecting customer information, credit verification, service orderprocessor (SOP) for creating and distributing service orders forprocessing by downstream processing systems such as Service OrderAnalysis and Control ISOAC) system, a Computer System for MainframeOperations (COSMOS) system, SWITCH system, Loop Facility Assignment andControl System (LFACS) system, and Adjunct Processor (AP) having storagefor storing data including Living Unit (LU) data, network facility dataand Telephone Number (TN) data, a first test system testing acommunication line in a communication cable associated with the customerin accordance with a first test producing trouble indicators indicatinga potentially defective communication line, a second test system testinggroups of the trouble indicators associated with the communication linein accordance with a second test, and a data processor generating an endto end description of the communication line to be tested, prioritizingthe groups that are potentially defective indicating the potentiallydefective communication line generating prioritized groups, andgenerating a report to be used for examining the potentially defectivecommunication line using the prioritized groups, a method ofprovisioning and maintaining the working status of customer networkfacilities, comprising the steps of:(a) receiving a service request froma customer at a living unit requesting service; (b) determining whetherthe service request from the living unit is eligible for processing bythe adjunct processor; (c) when the service request is eligible,automatically provisioning customer equipment to execute the servicerequest based upon information including customer identification dataand customer facilities, and the information maintained without alteringthe customer facilities when a subsequent disconnect request is receivedfrom the customer; (d) receiving a customer request; (e) retrievingrelated customer profile information; (f) obtaining a description of thecustomer trouble and entering a trouble type associated therewith; (g)building a trouble report; (h) testing the communication line andgenerating test results; (i) determining, responsive to criteria,whether additional information is needed, or whether the trouble reportcan be closed out, or whether the trouble report should be dispatched toa customer work group, and if so, transmitting the trouble report forreview by the customer work group using trouble routing criteria; (j)grouping related open work requests and proactively determined troubleswith the trouble report based on grouping rules including at least oneof similarity of trouble, similarity of geographic area, and availabletime; and (k) building a work load for a technician responsive to therelated open work requests, the trouble report, the proactivelydetermined troubles and technician information including work schedule,job type, work areas, and job skills.
 28. In an administration systemfor a public switched telephone network which includes an attendantstation for receiving service requests and collecting customerinformation, a service order processor (SOP) for creating anddistributing service orders for processing by downstream processingsystems such as Service Order Analysis and Control (SOAC) system, aComputer System for Mainframe Operations (COSMOS) system, SWITCH system,Loop Facility Assignment and Control System (LFACS) system, acombination provisioning and maintenance: system for provisioning andanalyzing the working status of customer network facilities in responseto a customer request reporting a customer trouble, comprising:anattendant station receiving the customer request, retrieving relatedcustomer profile information, obtaining a description of the customertrouble and entering a trouble type associated therewith correspondingto a first communication line representing a reactively determinedtrouble, and building a first trouble report; a first test systemtesting a second communication line in the communication cableassociated with the customer producing trouble indicators indicating apotentially proactively determined trouble, and building a secondtrouble report; a second test system, responsively connected to saidfirst test system and to said attendant station, said second test systemtesting at least one of the first and second communication lines anddetermining, responsive to criteria, whether at least one of the firstand second trouble reports should be dispatched to a customer workgroup, and if so, transmitting the at least one of the first and secondtrouble reports for review by the customer work group together withexisting related trouble reports to the customer work group usingtrouble routing criteria; a data processor, operatively connected tosaid first and second test systems, generating an end to end descriptionof the at least one of the first and second communication lines to betested by said second test system responsive to the troubles todetermine whether the at least one of the first and second communicationlines require at least one of inspection and repair; a work requestprocessing and dispatch system, responsively connected to said attendantstation, grouping related open work requests with at least one of thefirst and second trouble reports based on grouping rules includingsimilarity of trouble, similarity of geographic area, and availabletime, and building a work load for a technician; and said AdjunctProcessor, responsively connected to said attendant station, and havingstorage for storing data including Living Unit (LU) data, networkfacility data and Telephone Number (TN) data, and determining whetherthe service request from the living unit is eligible for processing bythe Adjunct Processor, and when the service request is eligible,automatically provisioning customer equipment to execute the servicerequest based upon information including customer identification dataand customer facilities, and the information maintained by the AdjunctProcessor without substantially altering the customer facilities.